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REMINISCENCES 

OF 

AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

OF  THE 

CITY    OF    NEW    YORK 

(l8l6    TO    i860) 


BY 


CHAS.  H.  HASWELL 

MEMBER    AM.,   BOSTON,   AND    PHILADELPHIA    SOCIETIES 

OF  C.  E.,  AND  INST'N  OF  N.  E.  OF  U.  S.,  AND  INST'NS 

OF  C.  E.  AND   N.  A.  OF  GREAT   BRITAIN,  ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED 


Hear  Latid  o'  Cakes,  a?id  brither  Scots, 
Frae  Maidenkirk  to  Johnny  Groats— 
If  there's  a  hole  in  a'  your  coats, 

J  rede  you  tent  it ,' 
A  chiefs  among  ye  tahin'  notes, 

And,  faith,  he'll  prent  it. 

—Burns. 


NEW    YORK 
HARPER    &    BROTHERS    PUBLISHERS 

1896 


' 


By   CHAS.   H.   HASWELL. 


MECHANICS'  AND  ENGINEERS'  POCKET-BOOK  of 
Tables,  Rules,  and  Formulas,  pertaining  to  Mechanics, 
Mathematics,  and  Physics  :  including  Areas,  Squares, 
Cubes  and  Roots,  &c;  Logarithms,  Hydraulics,  Hydro- 
dynamics, Steam  and  the  Steam  -  Engine,  Naval  Archi- 
tecture, Masonry,  Steam  -  Vessels,  Mills,  &c. ;  Times, 
Mortars,  Cements,  «Src;  Orthography  of  Technical  Words 
and  Terms,  &c,  &c.  Sixty-first  Edition.  12mo,  Pocket- 
Rook  Form,  $4  00.  

Published   by    HARPER   &    BROTHERS,  New   York. 


Copyright,  1896,  by  Harper  &  Brothers. 
All  rights  reserved. 


flnscribeo  to 

AUGUSTUS  VANHORNE  STUYVESANT 

AS    A    TRIBUTE    TO    THE    DESCENDANT    AND   WORTHY    REPRESENTATIVE 

OF     A     PEOPLE     WHOSE     INTEGRITY     AND     INTELLIGENCE 

GAVE    RISE  TO  THE  SOCIAL  AND  COMMERCIAL 

EMINENCE    OF    NEW    YORK    CITY 

BY    HIS    FRIEND 

THE  AUTHOR 


PREFACE 


In  the  following  pages  it  is  not  designed  to  furnish  a 
history  of  the  city  during  the  period  designated,  as  there 
are  several  histories  in  existence  which  in  detail  and 
extent  are  in  advance  of  any  essay  that  either  my  recol- 
lection or  information  would  attain.  It  is  purposed  only 
to  give  my  recollection  of  some  matters  and  occurrences 
that  came  under  my  observation  or  knowledge,  and  of 
some  individuals  who  were  prominently  before  the  public; 
referring  to  matters  previous  and  subsequent  to  the 
period  embraced  only  when  necessary  to  illuminate  the 
subject  treated  of.  Of  the  existence  and  advent  of 
daily  newspapers,  only  such  are  given  as  I  knew  of;  and 
in  a  similar  manner,  the  changes  in  churches  and  in  the 
names  of  streets  recited  are  those  of  which  I  was 
cognizant. 

The  matters  and  incidents  now  given  were  mainly  col- 
lected some  twelve  years  previous  to  this  date,  and  were 
laid  aside,  inasmuch  as  strict  professional  authorship  for 
a  full  period  of  sixty-five  years  was  so  much  at  variance 
with  the  graphic  recital  of  ordinary  incidental  and  per- 
sonal events,  that  I  doubted  the  propriety  of  relying 
wholly  upon  my  ability  to  do  justice  either  to  the  subjects 
or  to  myself. 

The  repeated  recommendations  of  some  friends  ulti- 
mately decided  me  to  publish,  and  in  order  to  meet  my 
inexperience  in  personal  recitals,  I  submitted  the  MS. 
to  Mr.  J.  E.  Learned   for  his  criticisms,  and  aid  in  the 


VI  PREFACE 

filling  of  some  voids  whereof  my  recollection  of  full 
details  was  deficient,  both  of  which  duties  he  has  very 
acceptably  performed. 

I  am  indebted  to  Messrs.  Harper  &  Brothers  for  many 
of  the  illustrations  in  the  book,  and  to  Mr.  J.  F.  Phayre 
for  assistance  in  some  of  the  details  of  the  work. 

Not  one  of  the  illustrations  of  structures  here  given, 
with,  the  exception  of  St.  Paul's  Church  and  the  Jumel 
Mansion,  is  now  in  primitive  existence ;  the  Jail,  Vanden- 
heuvel  Mansion,  (Burnham's)  Claremont,  Tammany  Hall 
second,  Methodist  Church  in  John  Street,  and  Castle  Gar- 
den, although  existing,  have  all  been  altered  or  added  to, 
and  some  appropriated  to  purposes  other  than  originally 
designed. 


CONTENTS 


CHAP.  PAGB 

I.       l8l6. — JACOB  RADCLIFFE,   MAYOR I 

II.       I8l6,  CONTINUED. — JACOB    RADCLIFFE,  MAYOR           ...  28 

III.  l8l6,  CONTINUED. — JACOB    RADCLIFFE,  MAYOR           ...  50 

IV.  I8l7-l8l8. — JACOB    RADCLIFFE,     1817-1818  ;    CADWALLA- 

DER  D.  COLDEN,    l8lS,  MAYORS 8+ 

V.       I8l9-l820. — CADWALLADER        D.       COLDEN,        l8l8-l820, 

MAYOR IOI 

VI.       I82I-I822. — CADWALLADER    D.    COLDEN,    l82I  J    STEPHEN 

ALLEN,    I82I-I822,    MAYORS Iig 

VII.       1823-1824. — STEPHEN  ALLEN,   1823,  AND  WILLIAM  PAULD- 
ING,  1823-1824,    MAYORS I38 

VIII.       1825. — WILLIAM     PAULDING    AND     PHILIP     HONE,    MAYORS  165 
IX.       1826. — PHILIP    HONE,   1825-26,    AND    WILLIAM    PAULDING, 

1826,    MAYORS 183 

X.       1827. — PHILIP    HONE    AND    WILLIAM    Pj#LDL\G,   MAYORS    .  I97 

XI.       1827. — WILLIAM    PAULDING,   MAYOR 21  + 

XII.       1828-1829. — WILLIAM     PAULDING,    1828-1829,    AND     WAL- 
TER   BOWNE,    1829,  MAYORS         .       .       .       .       .       ...       .  227 

XIII.  183O-183I. — WALTER    BOWNE,   MAYOR 243 

XIV.  1832-1833.  — WALTER  BOWNE,    1832  AND    1833,    AND    GID- 

EON LEE,   1833,  MAYORS           264 

XV.       1834-1835. — GIDEON  LEE,    1834,  AND    CORNELIUS  W.   LAW- 
RENCE,   1834   AND    1835,    MAYORS 285 

XVI.       1836-1837. — CORNELIUS  W.  LAWRENCE,  1836-1837;  AARON 

CLARK,    1837,    MAYORS 3H 

XVII.       1838,    1839,    184O.— AARON    CLARK,    1 838    AND    1839,    AND 

ISAAC    L.    VARIAN,    1 839    AND    184O,    MAYORS     ....  335 

XVIII.       184I. — ISAAC  L.   VARIAN  AND  ROBERT  H.   MORRIS,   MAYORS  367 


Vlll 


CONTENTS 


CHAP.  PAGE 

XIX.       1842. — ROBERT   H.    MORRIS,    MAYOR 3S1 

XX.       1843-1844. — ROBERT    H.     MORRIS,    1843    AND     1 844,     AND 

JAMES    HARPER,    1844,    MAYORS 4OI 

XXI.  1845-1846. — JAMES  HARPER,  1845  \  WILLIAM  F.  HAVE- 
MEYER,    1845-1846  J    AND    ANDREW    H.    MICKLE,    1846, 

MAYORS  4l8 

XXII.  1847-1848. — ANDREW  H.  MICKLE,  1847  J  WILLIAM  V. 
BRADY,  1 847-1 848  J  AND  WILLIAM  F.  HAVEMEYER, 
1848,    MAYORS 431 

XXIII.  1849,      1850,      1851. — WILLIAM       F.      HAVEMEYER,      184Q  ; 

CALEB    S.    WOODHULL,    185O  ;    AND   AMBROSE   C.    KINGS- 
LAND,    185I,    MAYORS 450 

XXIV.  1852,      1853,       1854.— AMBROSE       C.      KINGSLAND,       1852  \ 

JACOB    A.    WESTERVELT,    1853    AND    1854,    MAYORS  .       478 

XXV.       1855,   1856,   1857. — FERNANDO    WOOD,   1855-1857,  MAYOR      497 

XXVI.       1858-1859. — DANIEL   F.    TIEMANN,    MAYOR 516 

XXVII.       i860. — FERNANDO   WOOD,    MAYOR  .......       526 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

PORTRAIT    OF    THE    AUTHOR  FrOntlS. 

STONE   BRIDGE,    BROADWAY    AT    CANAL    STREET 8 

DUTCH    HOUSES,    BROAD    STREET 1 3 

TURTLE   BAY           14 

lispenard's    MEADOWS 16 

BATTERY,    l822           19 

RED    FORT,    FOOT   OF    HUBERT    STREET 21 

BEEKMAN     HOUSE,    RESIDENCE     OF     SIR     WILLIAM      HOWE,      1 776. 

FIFTIETH    STREET,    NEAR    FIRST    AVENUE 23 

BRIDEWELL,    WEST    SIDE   CITY    HALL,    l8l6 25 

HALL   OF    RECORDS,    OR   OLD     JAIL 26 

KIP'S    HOUSE 27 

WASHINGTON    HALL,    SITE     OF     STEWART    BUILDING:    BROADWAY, 

CHAMBERS    AND    READE    STREETS 29 

THE    ROTUNDA,    CHAMBERS    STREET 31 

SECOND    TAMMANY    HALL          33 

TOWER    AT    HALLETT'S    POINT 34 

STREET    PUMP 36 

THE    MANHATTAN    RESERVOIR,    CHAMBERS    STREET 37 

STATEN    ISLAND  FERRY  AND  UNITED    STATES  BARGE  OFFICE,   1830.  41 

DEPARTURE   OF    LIVERPOOL    PACKETS 45 

TONTINE    COFFEE    HOUSE 48 

KING'S    BRIDGE 49 

KENNEDY,    WATTS,    LIVINGSTON,    AND     STEVENS     HOUSES,    BROAD- 
WAY,   OPPOSITE   BOWLING    GREEN 55 

CORNER    OF    BROADWAY    AND    MURRAY     STREET,    l8l6       ....  58 

ATLANTIC   GARDEN,    NO.    9    BROADWAY 60 

CATO'S    TAVERN.       FOR     FORTY-EIGHT     YEARS    ON    POST    ROAD    BE- 
TWEEN    FIFTY-FIRST    AND    FIFTY-SECOND    STREETS    ....  63 

CITY    HALL   AND    PARK,    l822 67 

SUGAR    HOUSE,    LIBERTY    STREET 70 

WOMAN    AND    MAN 74 

PETERSFIELD,    THE    RESIDENCE    OF    PETRUS    STUYVESANT       ...  76 


X  LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

macomb's  dam  and  continuation  of  road   from  one   hun- 
dred   AND    FIFTY-FIFTH    STREET  ;    HARLEM    RIVER    ....  79 

COLUMBIA    COLLEGE,    185I 8l 

NEW   YORK    INSTITUTION    OR    ALMSHOUSE    AND    PART    OF   JAIL         .  S3 

NO.    I    BROADWAY,    1817 85 

WALTON    HOUSE,    FRANKLIN    SQUARE,    NEAR    PECK    SLIP,    1776          .  89 

BRICK  CHURCH,  PARK  ROW,  AND  ST.  PAUL'S  CHAPEL,  l8l6  .  .  93 
RICHMOND     HILL    HOUSE,    VARICK     STREET,    BETWEEN    CHARLTON 

AND    VANDAM    STREETS 97 

METHODIST    CHURCH,    JOHN    STREET,    I768 99 

LUTHERAN  CHURCH,  CORNER   WILLIAM    AND    FRANKFORT    STREETS  IOO 

SHAKESPEARE    HOTEL,  CORNER    OF    FULTON    AND  NASSAU    STREETS  IO5 

THE   GRACIE    HOUSE,    HELL    GATE IO9 

MILL   ROCK,    HELL   GATE Il8 

FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH,  WALL  STREET,  NEAR  BROADWAY  120 
COLONEL    WM.     S.    SMITH'S     HOUSE,     SIXTY-FIRST     STREET,     NEAR 

AVENUE   A 127 

BROADWAY,    CORNER   OF    GRAND    STREET,   l822 131 

OLD    STOREHOUSE    AT   TURTLE    BAY 1 37 

FLY    MARKET,  AT    CORNER    OF  MAIDEN  LANE  AND    FRONT    STREET, 

1822 141 

st.  george's  church,  beekman,  near  cliff  street       .     .     .  149- 

custom  house,  first   presbyterian   and  trinity   churches  155 

dutch  house 164 

united  states  arsenal,  broadway  and  middle  road,  now 

MADISON    SQUARE l66 

BULL'S  HEAD  TAVERN,  SITE  OF  NEW  YORK  (BOWERY)  THEATRE  169 
BOTANICAL     GARDEN,    ON     MURRAY     HILL,  FROM    FORTY-SEVENTH 

TO    FIFTY-FIRST    STREETS,   l8oi 177 

m'gowan's  pass,  l8l6.     one  hundred  and  sixth  street  and 

sixth  avenue 1 82 

masonic  hall,  broadway  near  pearl  street,  1826     .     .     .  1s7 

clement  c.  moore's  residence 191 

city  fire-engine        i96 

st.  thomas's  church,  corner  of  broadway   and   Houston 

STREET I98 

pulpit  in  st.  paul's  church 202 

"  south  church,"  garden  street,     burned  in  the  fire  of 

1835 205 

REFORMED    DUTCH    "  MIDDLE,"    CEDAR    STREET 209 

feGLISE    DU    ST.    ESPRIT,    PINE    STREET 213 

BROADWAY    STAGE   AND   TATTERSALl/s 217 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS  XI 

PAGE 

BROADWAY,    NEAR    PRINCE    STREET,    WEST    SIDE,   183O      ....  225 

STATE   PRISON,    WASHINGTON     STREET 226 

CITY    HALL    PARK     IN    1817 228 

NIBLO'S    BROADWAY    STAGE,    1829 238 

BUCK'S     HORN     TAVERN,     BROADWAY,      BETWEEN     TWENTY-FIRST 

AND    TWENTY-SECOND    STREETS 247 

THE   WALTON    HOUSE   IN    LATER    YEARS 250 

TRINITY    CHURCH    OF    I788.       TAKEN    DOWN    IN    1839         ....  252 

SIR    PETER    WARREN'S    HOUSE,    GREENWICH    VILLAGE          ....  254 

REMSEN    HOUSE,    CHERRY,    NEAR    CLINTON    STREET 256 

APTHORPE    MANSION,    BLOOMINGDALE    ROAD    AND    NINETY-SECOND 

STREET 258 

HAMILTON    HOUSE,     ONE    HUNDRED     AND     FORTY-THIRD     STREET 

AND   TENTH    AVENUE 26l 

m'gowan's  pass,  1820 263 

broadway  and  murray  street,  l820 266 

dutch  "north"  church,  corner  of  fulton  and  william 

STREETS           272 

JUMEL     MANSION,      ONE     HUNDRED     AND     SIXTY-FIRST       STREET, 

BETWEEN    NINTH    AND   TENTH    AVENUES 278 

WILLIAM      NIBLO'S      "  SANS     SOUCI,"     BROADWAY,     NEAR      PRINCE 

STREET 284 

STRYKER'S    HOUSE,    FOOT    OF    WEST    FIFTY-SECOND    STREET        .       .  29I 

EXCHANGE    PLACE,  CORNER   OF    HANOVER    STREET 302 

JACKSON    TOKENS 3IO 

VARIAN  HOUSE,  BROADWAY  AND  TWENTY-SIXTH  STREET  .  .  .  314 
HOUSE    OF     NICHOLAS    WILLIAM    STUYVESANT,    THIRTEENTH     AND 

SIXTEENTH    STREETS    AND    AVENUES    FIRST    AND    A     .       .       .       .  318 

JACOB  HARSEN'S  HOUSE,  TENTH  AVENUE  AND  SEVENTIETH  STREET  325 

THE   FIRST    STEAM    LAUNCH 329 

VAN    BUREN    TOKENS 334 

RIKER     HOUSE,     SEVENTY-FOURTH      STREET,     BETWEEN      AVENUES 

A    AND    B 337 

•contoit's  garden,  broadway,  between  leonard  and  frank- 
lin streets 350 

"  britannia,"  first  cunard  steamer 352 

■corporal  Thompson's,    Broadway,    site    of    fifth    avenue 

HOTEL 366 

FIRST  TAMMANY  WIGWAM,  CORNER  NASSAU  AND  SPRUCE  STREETS, 

1798 369 

BLOCK     HOUSE,     ONE     HUNDRED      AND     TWENTY-THIRD      STREET, 

BETWEEN    NINTH    AND    TENTH    AVENUES 373 


Xll  LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 
CLAREMONT.      BROADWAY,    ONE     HUNDRED     AND     TWENTY-THIRD 

STREET,  AND    ELEVENTH    AND    TWELFTH    AVENUES          .       .       .  377 

HEAD    OVER    WINDOW    IN    WALTON    HOUSE 380 

MANSION  HOUSE,  NO.  39  BROADWAY,  OF  MAJOR-GENERAL  MACOMB, 

LATE    "THE     MANSION     HOUSE  "    OF     C.     BUNKER      ....  394 

AN    OLD-TIME    KNOCKER    ON    A    STREET    DOOR 4OO 

JAMES    HARPER 4IO 

FIRE    BUCKET 417 

HELL    GATE    FERRY 430 

STUYVESANT    PEAR    TREE,    NORTH-EAST    CORNER   OF   THIRTEENTH 

STREET    AND    THIRD    AVENUE 433 

BEEKMAN    GREENHOUSE 449 

WASHINGTON     PLACE 464 

RILEY'S    FIFTH     WARD     HOTEL,    CORNER     FRANKLIN     AND    CHAPEL 

STREETS           469 

VANDENHEUVEL     MANSION,    LATER      BURNHAM's     HOTEL,    BROAD- 
WAY   AND    SEVENTY-EIGHTH    TO    SEVENTY-NINTH    STREET        .  475 
"  OLD    BREWERY,"    CROSS   (PARK),  BETWEEN  CENTRE  AND  BAXTER 

STREETS           486 

PARK    THEATRE,    CHATHAM    STREET    (PARK    ROW) 491 

MAP   OF    NEW    YORK,    I782 507 

PRISON    SHIP    "  JERSEY,"   I777-I783 5X5 

NO.    I    BROADWAY,    1859             5*9 

GOVERNOR    STUYVESANT'S    HOUSE,    WHITE    HALL,    ERECTED    1658  522 

FORT    CLINTON,    AT    M'GOWAN's    PASS           53<> 

PARK    PLACE,    1836          533 

CITY  HALL  PARK,  BROADWAY.  JOTHAM  SMITH'S  DRY  GOODS 
STORE.  JOHN  JACOB  ASTOR's  HOUSE.  SITE  OF  ASTOR 
HOUSE    AND    VANDENHEUVEL    HOUSE.       SITE     OF     AMERICAN 

HOTEI 537 

SEAL   OF   THE    CITY          545 


REMINISCENCES  OF  AN  OCTOGENARIAN 
1816-1860 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


CHAPTER    I 
l8l6. — JACOB    RADCLIFFE,    MAYOR 

They  to  whom  memories  and  traditions  of  the  city  of 
New  York  are  known  and  dear,  who  love  her  fame  and 
place,  the  noble  setting  of  her  familiar  scenery,  and  the 
very  stones  of  her  streets,  have  long  deplored  the  lack  of 
civic  pride  among  her  inhabitants.  Smaller  cities  of  the 
New  World  have  wisely  cherished  their  inheritance  from 
a  fruitful  past  and  communicated  it  to  successive  genera- 
tions. The  stories  of  the  "Boston  Tea  Party"  and  the 
"Boston  Massacre,"  for  example,  have  been  spread  so 
widely  by  persistent  and  most  proper  efforts  of  the 
Bostonians,  as  to  become  part  of  almost  universal 
knowledge.  The  night  adventure  of  the  pseudo-Indians 
is  known,  and  Crispus  Attucks  *  has  become  a  child's  hero. 
It  would  be  matter  for  surprise,  however,  were  the  aver- 
age New-Yorker,  born  and  bred,  to  discover  acquaint- 
ance with  the  "  New  York  Tea  Party,"  which,  without  the 
cover  of  night  or  Indian  disguise,  sent  one  of  the  laden 
tea-ships  out  of  our  harbor  back  to  England,  and  upset 
the  cargo  of  another  into  the  waters  of  the  bay;  or  had  he 
so  much  as  heard  of  the  battle  of  Golden  Hill,  \  wherein 

*A  half-Indian  or  mulatto,  killed  in  the  affray  on  the  5th  of  March, 
1770,  known  as  the  "  Boston  Massacre."  He  was  charged  with  being  a 
leader  in  the  riot,  and  his  body  was  borne  by  the  surviving  participants 
to  it,  and  buried  in  the  public  burial-ground  with  the  other  victims. 

f  The  high    ground  between   Cliff  and  Gold  streets   near  John.      In 


2  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

the  first  blood  of  the  Revolution  was  spilt,  two  months 
earlier  than  the  "Boston  Massacre,"  and  more  than  five 
years  before  the  Lexington  affair.  I  have  no  controversy 
with  our  sister  cities  who  have  thus  acted  wiser  than  we, 
and  am  not  jealous  of  their  fame  ;  on  the  contrary,  I 
commend  them  for  example  of  life  and  instruction  of 
manners. 

Not  to  be  jealous  of  the  historic  property  of  neighbor 
cities  is  no  exalted  virtue  in  a  New-Yorker,  since  the 
romantic  and  glorious  history  of  his  own  town  should  suf- 
fice him.  Twice  has  it  been  in  Dutch  occupancy;  twice,  or 
even  thrice,  under  the  British  (if  we  count  their  return 
after  the  brief  possession  by  the  revolted  Colonies)  ;  it 
was  the  scene,  a  hundred  and  sixty  years  since,  of  the 
first  victorious  fight  for  liberty  of  the  press  ;  the  birth- 
place of  the  "Sons  of  Liberty,"  organized  ten  years 
before  the  Revolution  to  resist  the  Stamp  Act  ;  and  in 
the  same  year  the  meeting-place  of  the  American  Con- 
gress (of  nine  Colonies),  with  its  Bill  of  Rights,  assert- 
ing the  sole  power  of  the  Colonies  to  tax  themselves. 
And  then,  the  more  than  seven  years'  famine  and  blight, 
the  wreck  under  occupation  by  the  enemy  during 
almost  the  whole  Revolutionary  period,  the  city's  com- 
merce gone,  population  decreased  more  than  one-half, 
one-quarter  of  the  houses  burned,  and  many  of  the 
remainder — seized  for  barracks,  hospitals,  and  prisons — 

January,  1770,  some  British  soldiers  sawed  down  a  Liberty-pole  which 
the  "Liberty  Boys"  had  erected  in  celebration  of  the  repeal  of  the 
Stamp  Act.  This  action  involved  frequent  and  almost  daily  conflict^ 
between  the  "  boys  "  and  the  soldiers  ;  and  in  a  conflict  soon  after  the 
soldiers  were  worsted,  and  the  affair  was  from  that  time  known  as  the 
battle  of  Golden  Hill,  where  was  shed  the  first  blood  of  the  Revolu- 
tion that  followed.  Memory  of  the  Gouden  Bergh,  as  the  Dutch  called 
it,  survives  in  the  name  Gold  Street.  Cliff  Street  perpetuates  the  name 
of  Dirk  Van  der  Cliff,  and  John  Street  that  of  another  ancient  worthy. 
John  Harpendingh,  who  gave  to  the  Dutch  congregation  the  ground  for 
their  North  Church. 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,   MAYOR  3 

fallen  into  decay.  No  other  American  city  knew  a  tithe 
of  such  distress  for  country's  sake,  or  gathered  into  its 
annals  such  store  of  various  memories  meanwhile — 
tragical,  humorous,  pathetic,  romantic — as  fills  the 
pages  of  New  York's  history  for  those  stirring  years  ; 
battles  over  the  ground  where  her  new  quarters  are  now 
rising  ;  retreats,  captures,  evasions,  daring  personal 
exploits,  horrors  of  prison-ships,  and  every  kind  of 
moving  incident,  from  Howe's  unlucky  delay  over  Mrs. 
Murray's  Madeira  x  to  the  tragedy  of  Nathan  Hale.  And 
even  now  the  city's  soil  is  sown  with  relics  of  block- 
houses and  Revolutionary  earthworks  as  reminders  of 
some  of  these  things. 

Then  came  British  evacuation  and  Washington's  tri- 
umphal entry,  followed  almost  at  once  by  New  York's 
astonishing  revival,  and  opening  of  her  famous  career 
of  prosperity  and  precedency.  Soon  afterwards  followed 
Washington's  inauguration  and  residence  in  New  York, 
with  the  beginnings  of  the  new  government  in  the 
midst  of  the  rising  city.  Surely  there  is  no  need  for  us 
to  envy  our  neighbors  such  tales  as  they  may  claim  and 
own  of  "  the  great  days  of  old." 

Of  New  York's  indifference  to  her  own  historic  treas- 
ures, it  has  been  often  said  that  she  is  too  big  and  busy  to 
care  for  such  things  ;  and  a  narrow  mind,  vaunting  itself 
nevertheless  as  large  and  superior,  has  sometimes  added 
that  these  matters  are  proper  aliment  only  for  the 
provincial  spirit  in  smaller  towns,  where  people  have 
little  other  employment  or  cause  for  activity  than  to 
dwell  on  the  past,  and  where  the  days  are  long.  Hap- 
pily, the  propriety  of  this  large-sounding  but  small- 
minded  declaration  is  beginning  more  generally  to  be 
doubted;  more  and  more  people  are  discerning  the  truth 
that  a  fond  attachment  to  one's  city  is  not  an  unmetropoli- 
tan  quality;  and  though  New  York  is  larger  and  busier 
now  than  ever,  it  is  in   these  latter  days  that  indications 


4  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

abound  and  multiply  of  a  re-birth  among  us  of  civic  pride. 
Perhaps  this  is  largely  due  to  the  spirit  engendered  by 
our  modern  societies,  organized  (and  much  to  be  praised 
for  their  design)  to  perpetuate  remembrance  of  "old, 
unhappy,  far-off  things,  and  battles  long  ago" — the 
Society  of  the  Colonial  Wars,  the  "Sons  and  the  Daugh- 
ters of  the  Revolution,"  "of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion," etc.,  etc.  These,  although  they  are  not  devoted 
to  New  York,  must  yet  of  necessity  pay  great  trib- 
ute to  her  history.  To  them,  or  some  of  them,  and 
to  the  feelings  they  inspire,  are  due  the  tablets  marking 
many  historic  spots  within  our  borders  ;  the  care  to 
preserve  unspoiled  memorable  sites  and  other  objects  ; 
the  fine  statue  of  Nathan  Hale  in  the  City  Hall 
Park,  holding  out  perpetually  to  the  throng  of  passers 
the  graven  inscription  of  his  last  regret — that  he  had 
but  one  life  to  give  for  his  country.  Something  of 
Hale's  spirit  (we  hope  it  may  not  seem  fantastic  to  say) 
appears  to  be  passing,  however  feebly  or  slowly,  into  the 
blood  of  New-Yorkers.  Again  they  are  caring  for  their 
city,  as  did  their  forefathers,  with  a  nourished  pride, 
not  merely  in  her  growth,  her  luxury  and  splendors,_ 
her  unexampled  financial  credit  and  marvellous  reach 
of  business  transactions,  but  also  in  her  history  and 
traditions, 

To  forward  this  good  work  is  the  main  purpose  of  this 
volume,  wherein  some  of  the  earlier  recollections  of 
eighty  years  are  set  down,  while  yet  time  and  strength 
serve  for  that  purpose.  My  hope  is  thus  to  fix  some 
portions  of  the  general  history  of  New  York  in  "the 
immortality  of  print,"  thereby  to  enliven  the  growing- 
interest  in  the  past  of  our  beloved  city,  to  increase 
attachment  to  her  fortunes,  inspire  reverence  for  her 
great  citizens,  their  good  deeds  and  high  achievements, 
her  memories  and  monuments;  and  so  in  some  degree  to 
heighten  that  just  pride  in  citizenship,  which   is  perhaps 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,    MAYOR  5 

the  mainspring  of  patriotism.  The  changes,  physical  and 
social,  that  occurred  in  New  York  during  the  period 
amounting  to  more  than  the  life  of  a  generation,  which, 
in  these  pages,  is  to  come  under  review;  in  its  topography, 
commerce,  manufactures,  in  the  customs,  modes  of  life 
and  intercourse  of  its  inhabitants,  were  so  great  and 
varied  that  the  instance  of  friends  cognizant  of  the 
opportunities  I  have  enjoyed  to  observe  these  mutations, 
further  prompts  me  to  essay  a  recital  of  such  changes 
and  a  relation  of  incidents  that  have  fallen  under  my 
observation,  supported  either  by  a  distinct  recollection 
or  by  reference  for  verification  and  dates  to  the  daily 
records  of  the  period.  I  arrest  the  work  at  the  close  of 
i860,  because  that  date  ends  the  period  "before  the 
war,"  after  which  more  modern  conditions  prevailed,  and 
it  is  unnecessary  to  remind  a  large  portion  of  our  citizens 
of  customs  and  occurrences  subsequent  to  that  date. 
Notes  and  relations  similar  to  these,  but  of  more  recent 
date,  will  unquestionably  be  supplied  from  other  hands  in 
the  future,  and  I  confine  myself  herein  to  that  which,  in 
point  of  time,  may  by  the  general  public  fairly  be  termed 
history.  I  have  held  rather  closely  to  dates,  as  they 
appear  in  my  note-books,  somewhat  to  the  detriment  of 
literary  form,  but  on  the  whole  concluding  that  order  to 
be  a  needful  clue  for  myself  and  my  readers  to  follow 
through  the  wilderness  of  years.  Gladly  would  I  avoid 
the  frequent  appearance  of  the  pronoun  of  the  first  person 
singular,  but  the  use  of  it  is  a  high  convenience;  the  first 
person  plural  employed  throughout  a  volume  such  as  this 
sounds  pretentious  and  absurd,  besides  causing  a  want  of 
directness  in  communication  between  writer  and  reader, 
while  the  constraint  of  so-called  impersonal  verbs,  or  of 
the  periphrastic  manner  in  such  phrases  as  "the  author," 
"  the  present  writer,"  "  the  observer,"  is  held  to  be 
intolerable. 

Readers  of  the  present  day  may  imagine  for  themselves 


6  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

the  conditions  of  New  York  in  1816,  on  considering  the 
fact  that  at  that  date  the  limits  of  the  city  as  indicated 
by  its  dwellings,  with  the  exception  of  a  cluster  of 
houses,  etc.,  at  the  locations  known  as  Harlem  (One 
Hundred  and  Tenth  to  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-sixth 
Street);  Greenwich  Village  (Perry  to  Horatio  Street, 
and  Bleecker  Street  to  the  river);  Bloomingdale,  or 
Harsenville  (on  Broadway,  from  Sixty-sixth  to  Seventy- 
third  Street) ;  Manhattanville  (about  Manhattan  Street)  ; 
Yorkville  (in  the  vicinity  of  Eighty-sixth  Street  and 
Third  Avenue);  and  "Manhattan  Island,"  as  it  was 
termed  (a  part  of  the  main-land  being  intersected  by  a 
marsh  in  the  vicinity  of  the  ship-yards  on  the  East 
River,  from  Rivington  to  Tenth  Street),  were  clearly 
defined  to  be  below  Canal  Street  on  the  west,  and 
irregularly  below  Prince  and  Rivington  streets  on  the 
east  side;  its  population  being  93,634,  and  very  few 
of  its  citizens  enjoying  the  luxury  of  maintaining  their 
own  carriages. 

In  addition  to  increase  in  width  by  the  establishment  of 
an  extended  exterior  or  bulkhead  line  and  the  filling  out 
thereto,  the  topography  of  the  original  area  has  been 
materially  changed.  Thus  the  many  slips  or  basins  on 
the  river's  front  for  the  accommodation  of  vessels,  as 
Rivington,  Delancey,  Broome,  Grand,  Pike,  Market, 
Roosevelt,  Peck,  Burling,  Maiden  Lane,  Coffee  House 
(so  named  from  the  Tontine  Coffee  House  at  its  head, 
on  the  corner  of  Wall  and  Water  streets),  Old,  Coenties, 
and  Whitehall  slips  on  the  east,  and  Albany  Basin  and 
Washington  Market  Slips  on  the  North  River,  are  all 
now  filled  in  and  closed,  and  the  only  evidence  of  their 
former  existence  is  in  the  width  of  the  streets  immedi- 
ately at  the  river  front,  notably  as  at  Maiden  Lane  and 
Wall  Street.  The  construction  of  bulkheads  or  piers 
above  Barclay  Street  on  the  North  River,  and  Market 
Street  on   the   East    River,  was   very  incomplete   at   this 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,    MAYOR  7 

time,  the  primitive  shore  being  yet  exposed  in  many 
places. 

While  referring  to  piers  and  slips  it  may  not  be  amiss 
to  add  that,  although  we  have  a  Dock  Department  and  all 
the  variations  of  dock-builders,  dock-houses,  dock-men, 
etc.,  there  is  not  a  dock  in  or  on  the  island  of  New 
York;  there  are  three  in  Brooklyn,  and  not  to  exceed  ten 
in  the  United  States.  What  are  termed  docks  here  are 
piers  and  bulkheads,  constituting  a  wharf. 

Lispenard's  Meadows,  originally  extending  from  Duane 
Street  on  the  south  to  Broome  Street  on  the  north, 
bounded  on  the  east  by  Broadway  and  on  the  west  by 
the  North  River,  were  but  partly  filled  in  (see  page  16), 
and  Canal  Street  was  then  in  process  of  grading,  being 
crossed  at  Broadway  over  a  bridge  of  masonry  universally 
known  as  the  "Stone  Bridge";  a  public-house  on  Broad- 
way, near  Walker  Street,  being  known  as  the  Stone 
Bridge  Hotel.  Ex-Mayor  Daniel  F.  Tiemann  writes  me 
that  he  has  often  skated  under  this  bridge. 

As  late  as  1820  I,  in  company  with  an  elder  relative, 
occasionally  practised  pistol-shooting  at  a  target  on  a 
fence  on  the  south  side  in  this  open  and  unfrequented 
street,  between  Broadway  and  Mercer  Street. 

The  entire  island  was  reticulated  with  a  number  of 
roads  and  lanes,  notably  the  Boston  Turnpike,  beginning 
at  Twenty-third  Street  and  Broadway,  running  through 
the  present  Madison  Square  Park,  and  irregularly  across 
Third  Avenue  at  Forty-fifth  Street,  east  to  Second 
Avenue,  west  to  Sixty-sixth  Street,  and  then  irregularly 
up  the  line  of  Third  Avenue,  nearly  over  to  Fourth 
Avenue,  and  thence  to  Harlem  Bridge,  at  Third  Avenue 
and  One  Hundred  and  Thirtieth  Street.  Of  roads  : 
the  Middle  Road,  from  Boston  Turnpike  at  Twenty- 
eighth  Street  and  Fourth  Avenue  at  Twenty-ninth 
Street,  and  Madison  Avenue  between  Thirty-fifth  and 
Thirty-sixth  streets,  then  running  direct  to  Fifth  Avenue 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


ISL-t. 


STONE   BRIDGE,   BROADWAY   AT  CANAL  STREET 


at  Forty-second  Street.  The  old  Kingsbridge  Road,  from 
Eighth  Avenue  at  the  termination  of  Harlem  Lane  (St. 
Nicholas  Avenue),  to  road  at  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
fifth  Street;  Kingsbridge,  a  continuation  of  Broadway, 
or  turnpike  to  Albany  and  intermediate  towns.  The 
Abingdon,  or  "Love  Lane,"  as  it  was  generally  termed, 
from  Eighth  Avenue  between  Twenty-first  and  Twenty- 
second  streets  to  Broadway  at  Twenty-first  Street, 
thence  to  Twenty-third  Street,  and  to  Third  Avenue. 
The  Hell  Gate,  from  Boston  Turnpike,  between  Eighty- 
fourth  and  Eighty-fifth  streets,  to  Second  Avenue  and 
Eighty-sixth  Street,  thence  to  Eighty-seventh  Street 
between  First  and  Second  avenues,  thence  to  foot 
of  Eighty-sixth  Street,  at  East  River.  The  Skinner 
(Christopher  Street),  to  Union,  between  Fifth  and 
Sixth    avenues,    Eleventh    and    Twelfth    streets.       The 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,    MAYOR  9 

Southampton,  from  Eighth  Avenue  near  Fourteenth 
Street,  northeast  to  Nineteenth  Street,  and  between 
Fifth  and  Sixth  avenues,  thence  northerly  to  Abingdon 
Road,  north  of  Twenty-first  Street,  east  of  Sixth  Avenue. 
The  Fitzroy,  from  Southampton,  commencing  at  Four- 
teenth Street,  between  Seventh  and  Eighth  avenues, 
to  centre  of  block  between  Nineteenth  and  Twentieth 
streets,  thence  across  Eighth  Avenue  between  Twenty- 
second  and  Twenty-third  streets  to  Thirtieth,  thence 
through  Eighth  Avenue  to  between  Thirty-first  and 
Thirty-second  streets,  thence  northwesterly  to  between 
Forty-first  and  Forty-second  streets,  reaching  Forty- 
second  Street  between  Eighth  and  Ninth  avenues. 
Harlem,  from  between  Third  and  Lexington  avenues 
and  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  and  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty-first  streets,  to  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
fourth  Street  and  Fourth  Avenue,  to  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty-seventh  Street  between  Sixth  and  Seventh 
avenues,  thence  to  St.  Nicholas  Avenue  between  One 
Hundred  and  Thirty-first  and  One  Hundred  and  Thirty- 
second  streets.  The  Old  Kill  Road  (Gansevoort 
Street).  The  Lake  Tour  Road,  from  Thirty-ninth  Street 
and  Bloomingdale  Road  to  Seventh  Avenue,  thence  to 
Ninth  Avenue  between  Forty-second  and  Forty-third 
streets.  The  Union,  from  Skinner  Road,  Eleventh  and 
Twelfth  streets  and  Fifth  and  Sixth  avenues,  to  the 
Southampton  at  Fifteenth  Street  and  Seventh  Avenue. 

Of  lesser  roads  there  were:  the  Great  Kill,  running 
from  the  intersection  of  Ninth  Avenue  and  Greenwich 
Street  at  the  North  River,  directly  across  the  island  to 
Fitzroy  Road  between  Seventh  and  Eighth  avenues, 
thence  to  Sixth  Avenue  between  Fifteenth  and  Sixteenth 
streets,  thence  to  "  Love  Lane  "  between  Fifth  and  Sixth 
avenues  at  Twenty-first  Street.  The  Warren,  from 
Southampton  to  Abingdon  Road,  or  from  Sixteenth 
between    Sixth    and     Seventh    avenues    to    Twenty-first 


IO  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

Street.  The  Harsen,  from  Sixth  Avenue  between  Sev- 
entieth and  Seventy-first  streets  to  Ninth  Avenue, 
thence  to  Bloomingdale  Road  (Broadway)  at  Seventy- 
first  and  Seventy-second  streets. 

Of  Lanes  there  were :  the  Minetta,  Eighth  Avenue  and 
Fourteenth  Street  between  Seventh  and  Eighth  avenues 
to  Forty-second  Street.  The  Low,  from  Boston  Turnpike 
at  Forty-first  Street  to  Seventh  Avenue  at  Forty-fourth 
Street.  The  Jauncey,  from  Bloomingdale  Road  at  Ninety- 
third  Street  west  to  Sixth  Avenue.  The  Harlem  {St. 
Nicholas  Avenue),  from  One  Hundred  and  Tenth 
Street  and  Sixth  Avenue  to  near  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty-fourth  Street.  The  Monument  (Obelisk  Lane), 
Greenwich  Lane  from  Bowery  Road  to  Minetta  Creek, 
and  thence  to  intersection  of  Eighth  Avenue  and 
Thirteenth  Street,  where  an  obelisk  was  erected  to 
Major-general  Wolfe.  The  Amity,  from  Broadway  to 
Thompson  Street,  between  Bleecker  and  West  Third 
streets.  The  Rhinelander,  from  Second  Avenue  between 
Eighty-sixth  and  Eighty-seventh  streets,  to  Ninetieth 
Street  between  First  Avenue  and  Avenue  A.  The  Feit- 
ner,  from  Broadway  between  Forty-fifth  and  Forty-sixth 
streets,  crossing  Eighth  Avenue  at  Forty-sixth  Street, 
and  Ninth  Avenue  between  Forty-seventh  and  Forty- 
eighth  streets,  thence  to  Forty-ninth  and  Fiftieth  streets 
between  Tenth  and  Eleventh  avenues.  The  Hopper, 
from  Fiftieth  Street  and  Sixth  to  Seventh  avenues, 
to  Broadway  between  Fiftieth  and  Fifty-first  streets, 
to  Twelfth  Avenue  and  Fifty-third  Street.  The  Green- 
wich, from  Eighth  Avenue  and  Great  Kill  Road, 
Bowery  and  Stuyvesant  Street.  The  Rose  Hill,  from 
Eighth  Avenue  between  Twenty-first  and  Twenty- 
second  streets  to  Broadway,  to  Twenty-third  Street  and 
Third  Avenue.  The  Verdant,  from  Bloomingdale  Road 
between  Forty-fifth  and  Forty-sixth  streets  to  Tenth 
Avenue   between    Forty-eighth   and   Forty-ninth   streets. 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,   MAYOR  II 

thence  to  Twelfth  Avenue;  and  in  addition  to  these  there 
were  many  private  lanes  leading  from  country  resi- 
dences and  farms  to  the  main  roads.  McGowan's  Pass 
was  on  the  Old  Kingsbridge  Road  east  of  Sixth  Avenue 
and  north  of  One  Hundred  and  Eighth  Street;  and 
Breakneck  Hill  rose  from  Kingsbridge  Road  to  the  line 
of  Ninth  Avenue  between  One  Hundred  and  Forty-third 
and  Forty-fourth  Streets;  South  Street  ended  at  Dover, 
and  Front  at  Roosevelt  Street.  At  the  foot  of  Thirty- 
fifth  Street  on  the  North  River  was  a  glass  furnace,  and 
the  prominence  of  the  shore  at  that  point  was  termed  the 
Glass  House  Point. 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  some  to  learn  why  the  blocks 
located  by  the  Commissioners  in  1807  above  First  Street 
on  the  east  side  and  Thirteenth  Street  on  the  west 
side  are  so  irregular  in  their  widths,  and  why  the  wide 
streets  are  so  irregularly  spaced,  as  Fourteenth,  Twenty- 
third,  etc.,  some  of  the  blocks  varying  from  181  feet  9  in. 
to  211  feet  11  in.,  and  not  one  being  of  200  feet;  and  in- 
asmuch as  the  surveyor,  Mr.  John  Randall,  Jr.,  so  person- 
ally advised  me,  I  am  authorized  to  state  it,  thus:  In 
running  the  line  of  the  central  avenue  he  denned  certain 
divisions  of  the  work  by  his  rough  or  preliminary  measure- 
ments, and  instead  of  changing  these  points,  as  he  pro- 
gressed with  his  final  survey,  to  the  sum  of  a  given 
number  of  blocks  of  200  feet,  streets  of  60  feet  and  one 
of  100  feet  in  width,  making  10  streets  (with  one  wide  one) 
exactly  half  a  mile,  he  divided  the  distance  between  his 
assumed  or  trial  points  by  the  number  of  blocks,  streets, 
avenues,  and  wide  streets,  approximating  the  distance 
between  the  points;  and  as  this  distance  was  fractional, 
and  the  width  of  the  streets  and  avenues  fixed,  the 
quotient  was  the  width  of  the  blocks  between  each  of 
the  trial  points;  and  as  a  result  of  such  a  proceeding 
they  were  fractional. 

The    iron     railing    around    the     Bowling    Green    was 


12  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

imported   from   England  in  1 77 1 ;   it   is   standing   at    this 
time  (1895). ' 

At  the  time  here  under  mention  the  principal  fronts 
of  the  blocks  on  Broadway,  on  the  west  side  between 
Franklin  and  White  streets,  and  on  the  east  side  between 
White  and  Walker  streets,  were  in  primitive  soil,  and 
enclosed  with  board  fences.  Many  of  the  older  streets 
still  retained  names  now  forgotten.  The  craze  for  a 
change,  so  familiar  to  New-Yorkers  of  modern  date  in 
their  loss,  for  example,  of  Amity,  Anthony,  Bancker, 
Chatham,  and  Robinson  streets  (to  name  only  the  first 
that  come  to  mind),  has  swept  away  ancient  designations 
that  they  know  not  of.  Thus,  in  earlier  times,  South 
William  Street  was  known  as  "Dirty  Lane";  Cliff,  as 
"Elbow  Street";  Nassau,  originally  as  "Pie  Woman's 
Lane";  Beaver,  as  "Slaughterhouse  Lane";  Broad,  as 
"Smell  Street";  Elm,  as  "  Republican  Alley  ";  Washing- 
ton Place,  from  University  Place  to  Fifth  Avenue,  as 
"Shinbone  Alley."  Hanover  Street  was  Slote  Lane; 
Exchange  Place  was  Garden  Street  from  Hanover  to 
Broad,  and  thence  to  Broadway  was  called  "Flat  and 
Barrack  Hill,"  this  descent  being  then  a  favorite  place 
of  boys  for  "coasting."  The  narrow  passage  nearly 
opposite — from  the  west  side  of  Broadway  to  Trinity 
Place  (Church  Street) — was  colloquially,  if  not  legally, 
termed  "  Tin  Pot  Alley,"  the  title  it  bears  to  the  present 
day,  though  some  absurd  person  of  more  or  less  author- 
ity has  endeavored  to  effect  a  change  by  putting  on  an 
adjacent  street-lamp  the  name  "Exchange  Alley,"  to 
denote  a  passage  wherein  less  exchange  takes  place 
than  in  any  other  thoughout  the  entire  city.  We 
have  noted  with  singular  pleasure  that  when  dem- 
olition and  rebuilding  were  in  progress  in  this  locality 
that  stanch  New- Yorker,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Morgan  Dix, 
desiring  to  make  sure  the  perpetuation  of  a  time- 
honored    name,    prepared,    at    his    own    care    and     cost, 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,   MAYOR 


13 


a  decorated    tablet  of  graceful   design,  bearing  the   old 

name,  which  was  built  into  the  wall  of  the  new  structure 

on  the  south  corner.     A  tailor's  impudent   sign  has  been 

suffered    to    cover 

full  one-half  of  this 

tablet,  and  has  so 

far  been  permitted 

to  defeat  Dr.  Dix's 

laudable    purpose. 

It   may   be    hoped 

that     the     tailor's 

sense  of  his  trade 

interest    with    old 

\ew-Vorkers  may 

induce  him  to  place 

this    sign    a    little 

lower. 

In  the  lower 
part  of  the  city, 
in  Broad  Street, 
there  were  re- 
maining a  num- 
ber of  Dutch-de- 
signed and  Dutch- 
built  houses,  with 
their  gable-ends  to 
the  street,  and 
sharply    pitched 

roofs,  with  stoops  at  their  front  doors.  As  the  defi- 
nition of  this  word  is  often  asked,  I  give  it  thus  : 
Storpcn,  also  cen  stocp  bancke,  a  seat  or  bank  before  a 
house.  The  aristocratic  quarter  for  residences  at  this 
period  was  Whitehall,  Beaver,  Broad,  Water,  and  Pearl 
streets,  and  the  lower  part  of  Broadway.  Cherry, 
Roosevelt,  Oak,  Madison,  Oliver,  Harman  (East  Broad- 
way), and  Market  streets  were  occupied  by  many  people 


DUTCH    HOUSES,  P.KOAI)   STREET 


•4 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


of  position  and  fortune.  Not  only  the  detached  clusters 
of  buildings  above-named,  as  Harlem,  Yorkville,  etc.,  but 
also  Kip's  Bay  (see  page  27),  at  Thirty-sixth  Street,  and 
Turtle  Bay,  at  Forty-sixth  Street,  on  the  east  side;  with 
Stryker's  Bay,  at  Ninety-fifth  and  Ninety-sixth  streets,  on 
the  west  side,  were  at  this  date  positive  and  recognized 
localities.  Madison  Square  was  a  pasture.  Tompkins 
Square,  with  the  area  to  east  of  it,  was  a  swamp.  At  the 
intersection  of  Grand  Street  and  East  Broadway  (Harman 
Street)  was  the  hill  known  as  Mount  Pitt.  Broadway 
above  Tenth  Street  was  a  country  road.  The  Collect — 
that  is,  the  pond  that  had  been  bounded  by  White, 
Bayard,  Elm,  Canal,  and  Pearl  streets,  which  naturally 
had  discharged  into  the  East  River  through  "Wreck 
Brook,"  across  the  region  still  known  as  "The  Swamp," 
but  had  been  diverted  into  the  North  River  through  a 
drain  cut  on  the  line  of  Canal  Street,  passing  under  the 

Stone  Bridge — was 
but  partly  filled  in. 
Many      primeval 
streams  and  water 
courses  existed  up- 
on   this    island    of 
Manhattan.      Most 
of  them  have  been 
filled  up,  and  their 
flow  checked  and  di- 
verted; but  though 
not  apparent  now, 
they  still  exist,  and 
except  for  the  area 
covered  by  buildings  and  pavements,  with  the   artificial 
leading-off   of    rain   and    snow-water,    would    appear   in 
their  original   force.       In  this  year   Minetta  stream  was 
fully    apparent;   and    as    it    was    and    is   of   considerable 
volume,     it   has  been   a   very    important    and    expensive 


TUKTI.K    BAY 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,    MAYOR  15 

factor  in  the  construction  of  foundations  along  its  line, 
from  its  main  source,  near  the  site  of  the  Union  Club,  to 
its  discharge  in  the  North  River.  Its  other  branch  had 
its  source  at  Sixth  Avenue  and  Sixteenth  Street,  the  two 
joining  between  Eleventh  and  Twelfth  streets  and  Fifth 
and  Sixth  avenues;  its  course  thence  being  irregular  to 
Minetta  Lane  and  Bleecker  Street,  thence  direct  to  Hud- 
son Street  at  King  Street;  then  bifurcating  and  joining 
at  Greenwich  Street,  thence  to  the  river  by  Charlton 
Street. 

Sunfish  and  Stuyvesant's  ponds  were  in  their  original 
outlines,  the  former  bounded  by  Thirty-first  and  Thirty- 
third  streets  and  Madison  and  Lexington  avenues, 
fed  by  a  stream  rising  between  Sixth  and  Seventh 
avenues  at  Forty-fourth  Street,  and  flowing  into  the  East 
River  between  Thirty-third  and  Thirty-fourth  streets; 
the  latter  lying  between  Second  Avenue,  Thirteenth  and 
Fourteenth  streets  and  the  East  River,  with  Stuyvesant's 
Swamp  adjacent,  an  extensive  area  of  low  alluvial  land 
receiving  water  from  several  tributary  streams.  Stuyve- 
sant's Meadows  was  the  basin  of  a  stream  rising  between 
Fourteenth  and  Fifteenth  streets  at  Second  Avenue,  run- 
ning irregularly  to  Nineteenth  Street  and  First  Avenue, 
and  discharging  into  the  East  River  between  Fifteenth 
and  Sixteenth  streets.  In  winter  the  greater  portion 
of  them  was  covered  with  water,  and,  forming  a  large 
pond,  was  a  favorite  resort  for  skating,  as  was  Sun- 
fish  Pond  also.  The  glue-factory  of  Peter  Cooper  ad- 
joined Sunfish  Pond,  he  having  previously  occupied  the 
triangular  plot  formed  by  the  intersection  of  Third  and 
Fourth  avenues  as  a  store.  At  Seventeenth  Street 
and  the  East  River  was  an  indentation  of  the  shore,  into 
which  emptied  a  stream  rising  west  of  Madison  Square, 
and  flowing  north  of  Gramercy  Park.  Sawmill  Creek 
rose  between  Forty-ninth  and  Fiftieth  streets,  west  of 
Sixth  Avenue,  and  ran  north   to   Fifty-ninth  Street,  turn- 


i6 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


ing  then  southwest  of  the  East  River  at  Forty-sixth 
Street.  Above  this  were  several  streams  on  both  sides 
of  the  island,  notably  the  Harlem  Creek,  rising  in  the 
vicinity  of  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third  Street  and 
Tenth  Avenue,  and  flowing  directly  to  Fifth  Avenue  at 
One  Hundred  and  Sixteenth  Street,  thence  to  One  Hun- 
dred and  Sixth  Street,  thence  to  East  River,  between 
One  Hundred  and  Seventh  and  One  Hundred  and  Eighth 
streets.       Canal    Street:    when    this    great   thoroughfare 


LISPENARD'S  MEADOWS 


was  filled  in,  it  became  necessary  to  continue  the  original 
stream  or  water  course  through  it  in  a  sewer,  which  led 
from  Centre  Street  to  the  river;  and  whenever  it  became 
necessary  to  clean  its  bottom,  prisoners  from  Bellevue 
were  employed,  the  vicious  being  restricted  by  an  iron 
ball  and  chain  secured  to  one  or  both  of  their  legs. 

Lispenard's  Meadows,  as  well  as  the  site  of  Tompkins 
Square,  were  good  snipe  grounds;  while  the  various 
suitable  places  above  them,  notably  the  site  of  Central 
Park  and  the  low  ground  between  it  and  the  East  River, 
furnished  ample  extent  for  an  entire  day's  shooting;  and 
Twenty-sixth    to    Thirtieth,  Thirty-ninth  to    Forty-third, 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,    MAYOR  17 

Sixty-fourth  to  Sixty-sixth,  Seventy-ninth  to  Eighty-fifth, 
and  Ninety-sixth  streets,  on  the  west  side,  of  which  I 
was  cognizant,  were  good  for  both  woodcock  and  snipe. 
I  have  shot  woodcock  in  West  Twenty-first  Street  and 
Tenth  Avenue,  and  rabbits  between  Cato's  Road  and 
Third  Avenue;  while  Fourteenth  Street  was  generally 
the  limit  of  my  shooting-grounds  on  Saturday  holidays. 

What  is  now  known  as  Brooklyn  Heights  was  at  this 
time  a  high  and  precipitous  sand-hill,  with  a  stairway 
leading  to  its  summit,  on  which  were  three  houses,  one  a 
hotel,  one  a  boarding-house,  and  one  the  residence  of  a 
Mr.  Gibbs,  who  brought  from  his  former  residence  in 
North  Carolina  a  cutting  of  a  grape-vine,  which  he 
planted  in  the  grounds  of  his  new  residence  and  named 
Isabella,  after  his  daughter  of  that  name;  and  hence  the 
"  Isabella  grape  "  of  the  subsequent  and  present  time. 
Still  Hook  and  Pierrepont's  windmill  were  opposite  to 
Governor's  Island,  near  to  Atlantic  Street. 

Red  Hook  was  a  promontory  on  the  Brooklyn  shore 
at  Van  Dyne  Street,  and  Yellow  Hook,  on  which  was  a 
powder-house  on  the  same  shore,  was  at  the  southern 
point  of  Gowanus  Bay,  all  of  which,  alike  to  Turtle  and 
Kip's  bays  on  the  East  and  Stryker's  Bay  on  the  North 
River,  have  been  obliterated  by  the  extension  of  the 
river  fronts. 

Gowanus  Bay  was  very  shallow  and  prolific  with  clams. 
At  low  water  men  were  seen  "treading  "  for  them;  hence 
the  well-known  truism,  "One  should  never  go  clamming 
at  high  water." 

The  North  River  above  Barclay  Street  was  not  fully  bulk- 
headed,  and  on  it  but  eight  piers  existed;  the  point  of 
Corlear's  Hook,  East  River,  was  an  open  shore,  resorted 
to  by  the  Baptists  for  practice  of  the  rite  of  immersion, 
and  all  above  North  (Houston)  Street  was  a  primi- 
tive shore.  The  Battery,  scd  quantum  mutatus  ab  Mo, 
was    the   sea   breathing-spot,  and,   in    proportion    to   the 


l8  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

number  of  citizens,  it  was  much  more  frequented  than 
Central  Park  is  at  the  present  period  of  1895.  It 
was  bounded  seaward  by  a  rip-rap  wall  between  it  and 
Fort  Clinton,  now  Castle  Garden,  and  very  far  inside  of 
the  present  extension.  A  bridge  about  two  hundred  feet 
in  length  connected  the  shore  and  the  fort.  The  area 
of  the  Battery  was  extended  and  walled  in  at  a  later 
period  (about  1823),  and  again  extended  and  walled  in 
in  1856.  It  was  the  afternoon  resort  of  children,  and  in 
summer  the  evening  resort  and  promenade  of  citizens. 
Ladies  could  visit  it  with  impunity,  even  when  unaccom- 
panied by  a  gentleman.  Castle  Garden  has  an  interest- 
ing history;  erected  in  1814,  and  first  named  Fort  Clinton, 
the  result  of  a  mass-meeting  held  in  the  City  Hall  to 
consider  the  best  means  of  fortifying  the  city  should  the 
war  with  England  extend  northward.  During  its  con- 
struction a  patriotic  dame  of  high  social  position  trundled 
a  wheelbarrowful  of  earth  from  Trinity  Churchyard  down 
Broadway  to  the  fort.  When  the  property  was  ceded 
back  to  the  city  by  the  Federal  Government  in  1822,  in 
consequence  of  the  removal  of  military  headquarters 
to  Governor's  Island,  it  was  determined  to  convert  Fort 
Clinton  (or  Castle  Clinton)  into  a  place  of  public  amuse- 
ment, and  as  such,  under  the  now  familiar  name  of  Castle 
Garden,  it  long  fulfilled  its  purpose  admirably,  and  is  well 
remembered  as  the  home  of  the  opera  and  the  scene  of 
Jenny  Lind's  extraordinary  triumphs.  Philip  Hone's 
Diary  describes  it  as  "  the  most  splendid  and  largest 
theatre  I  ever  saw — a  place  capable  of  seating  comfort- 
ably six  or  eight  thousand  persons.  The  pit  or  area  of 
the  pavilion  is  provided  with  some  hundred  small,  white 
tables  and  movable  chairs,  by  which  people  are  enabled 
to  congregate  into  little  squads,  and  take  their  ices 
between  the  acts.  In  front  of  the  stage  is  a  beautiful 
fountain,  which  plays  when  the  performers  do  not.  The 
whole    of    this    large    area    is    surmounted    by    circular 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,    MAYOR 


21 


benches  above  and  below,  from  every  point  of  which  the 
view  is  enchanting."  But  in  spite  of  the  charms  set 
forth  in  this  glowing  account,  the  drift  of  society  uptown 
made  Castle  Garden  impracticable  as  a  place  of  evening 
amusement  after  a  while.  It  fell  into  sordid  uses  as  a 
lodging-place  for  arriving  immigrants,  and  so  continued 
for  a  long  space.  Now,  after  a  long  and  needful  process 
of  cleansing,  does  it  return  to  its  function  of  amusement — 
fitly  and  conveniently  chosen,  as  it  is,  for  the  location 
of  the  Public  Aquarium. 

On  the  east  side  of  Greenwich  Street,  near  the  Battery, 
was  the  Atlantic  Garden,  a  well-conducted  and  popular 
resort  of  the  time 
(see  p.  60).  In 
line  with  the  foot 
of  Hubert  Street, 
a  water-fort  stood 
some  two  hundred 
feet  out  in  the 
river,  approached 
by  a  bridge,  which, 
like  the  Battery, 
was  a  favorite  re- 
sort for  the  dwellers  of  the  vicinity  on  summer  evenings. 
This  fort,  built  of  freestone,  was  known  as  the  "Red 
Fort,"  while  one  at  the  foot  of  Gansevoort  Street,  being 
whitewashed,  was  called  the  "White  Fort." 

The  Spingler  estate,  on  Broadway,  from  Fourteenth 
to  Sixteenth  Street,  to  below  Union  Square,  was  at  this 
time  a  market-garden.  Originally  it  consisted  of  twenty- 
two  acres,  and  was  purchased  by  Henry  Spingler  in  1788 
for  less  than  five  thousand  dollars.  The  Murray  House, 
from  which  Murray  Hill  gains  its  title,  and  which 
remained  standing  until  it  was  burned  in  1834,  was  on 
a  farm  between  the  Bloomingdale  Road  (Broadway)  and 
the  Boston    Post    Road,  and  running  down   to   Kip's    Bay 


RED  FORT,  FOOT  OF  IHI'.KRT  STREET 


22  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

(East  Thirty-third  and  Thirty-seventh  streets).  The 
Beekman  House,  which  stood  till  twenty  years  ago  on 
Fifty-first  Street  near  Second  Avenue,  was  built  in  1763 
by  a  descendant  of  William  Beekman,  who  came  from 
Holland  with  Petrus  Stuyvesant  in  1647.  Headquarters 
of  Sir  William  Howe  and  General  Charles  Clinton  dur- 
ing the  war  of  the  Revolution,  it  witnessed  many  scenes 
of  historic  interest.  It  was  in  this  house  that  Major 
Andre  stayed  the  night  before  he  proceeded  on  his  fatal 
adventure;  and,  by  a  striking  coincidence,  it  was  here  that 
Nathan  Hale  had  been  brought  for  examination  after  his 
capture,  and  here  received  (tradition  says  in  the  green- 
house) such  trial  or  hearing  as  was  allowed  him.  We  may 
wonder  if  the  thought  of  Hale  visited  Andre  on  his  last 
night  of  peaceful  rest  in  this  place,  haunted  by  memo- 
ries of  his  prototype.  The  pulling  down  of  the  Beekman 
House  in  1874  was  observed  with  keen  regret.  One  of 
its  fire-places  was  presented  by  Mr.  James  W.  Beekman 
to  the  New  York  Historical  Society,  in  whose  keeping 
it  may  be  seen.  On  Broadway,  on  the  Grand  Boulevard, 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Jauncey  Lane  (Ninety-first 
and  Ninety-second  streets),  was  the  Apthorpe  Mansion 
of  an  earlier  period,  and  later  the  residence  of  Colonel 
Thorne,  formerly  a  purser  in  the  Navy,  who  married 
Miss  Jauncey;  the  boundaries  of  this  property  included 
many  acres  (see  p.  258).  The  place,  for  years  before 
its  disappearance  in  1892,  was  occupied  for  the  entertain- 
ment of  target-excursions,  as  a  beer-garden,  etc.,  known 
as  Elm  Park.  On  Cherry  Street,  between  Clinton  and 
Jefferson  streets,  was  the  home  of  Colonel  Rutgers, 
which,  after  his  death,  was  remodelled  by  his  nephew,  the 
late  Wm.  B.  Crosby.  Colonel  Marinus  Willett  resided 
upon  his  farm,  extending  from  Broome  to  Delancey 
Street,  and  from  Lewis  Street  to  the  river.  On  Water 
Street,  between  Walnut  (Jackson)  and  Scammel  streets, 
was  the  residence  of  Christian  Bergh,  the  father  of  the 


JACOB    RADCL1FFE,    MAYOR 


25 


BRIDEWELL.  WEST   SIDE   CITY    HALL,  1816 


late  Henry  Bergh;  and  between  the  street  and  the  river 
was  his  extensive  ship-yard — established  in  this  year. 

West  of  Broadway,  between  Eleventh  and  Twelfth 
avenues,  at  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third  Street,  there 
was  a  large  country  residence  occupied  by  an  English- 
man, a  Mr.  Courtney,  who,  with  but  one  man-servant  and 
a  cook,  lived  so  retired  as  never  to  be  seen  in  company 
with  any  one  outside  of  his  household,  and  very  rarely  in 
public.  There  were,  as  a  consequence,  many  opinions 
given  as  to  the  occasion  of  such  exclusiveness.  The  one 
generally  and  finally  accepted  was  that  he  had  been  a 
gay  companion  of  royalty  in  his  youth,  and  that  his 
leaving  England  was  more  the  result  of  expediency  with 
him  than  choice.  The  house  subsequently  was  known  as 
"  The  Claremont  "  (see  p.  377). 

The  State's  Prison  building  and  ground  occupied  about 
four  acres  in  Washington,  bounded  by  Christopher, 
Perry,  and  West  streets,  surrounded  by  a  high  stone  wall 


26 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


guarded  by  sentries.  xAn  extensive  brewery  now  occupies 
the  site  of  this  building  (see  p.  226).  The  City  Prison, 
or  Bridewell,  stood  on  Broadway  in  line  with  the  present 
City  Hall  (see  p.  25),  and  the  Jail,  or  Debtors'  Prison, 
alike  in  line  with  it  at  its  opposite  end,  where  it  still 
stands,  converted  into  the  Hall  of  Records,  the  veritable 


ill  .Mil 


HAIL  OF  RECORDS,  OR  OLD  JAIL 

though  altered  structure  of  the  old  jail  changed  into  a 
really  beautiful  form,  though  now  bearing  an  unsightly 
wooden  top.  Between  those  buildings,  where  now  is 
the  new  Court  House,  was  the  Almshouse  on  Chambers 
Street. 

March  1  Hudson  Street  extended  from  Gansevoort 
Street  to  Ninth  Avenue. 

In  May  the  Penitentiary  adjoining  the  new  Almshouse 
at  Bellevue  was  first  occupied,  and  the  convicts  therein 
were  employed  in  the  opening  and  improvement  of  con- 
tiguous roads  and  streets. 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,    MAYOR  27 

Dr.  McLeod  proceeded  to  Washington,  organized  the 
American  Colonization  Society,  and  wrote  its  Constitution. 

The  markets  were  the  Fly  (Vlie  or  Vly,  an  abbrevia- 
tion of  valley),  located  at  the  foot  of  Maiden  Lane,  which 
was  this  year  ordered  to  be  removed  (see  p.  141);  the 
Washington,  at  foot  of  Vesey  and  Fulton  streets,  on  the 
site  of  the  Bear  (1814),  by  which  name  the  Washington 
was  known  for  many  years;  the  Catharine,  at  foot  of  the 
street  of  that  name;  the  Old  Slip,  at  foot  of  William  Street, 
afterwards  the  Franklin;  the  Duane,  at  foot  of  the 
street  so  named;  the  Collect,  on  the  south  side  of  White 
Street,  near  Broadway  and  Cortlandt  Alley  (removed  in 
1818);  the  Greenwich,  foot  of  Christopher  Street;  and 
the  Gouverneur,  foot  of  that  street,  erected  at  the  individ- 
ual cost  of  Christian  Bergh,  the  ship-builder  in  Water 
Street;  and  one  at  the   foot  of  Grand  Street. 

The  Grand  Market  Place,  which  embraced  Tompkins 
Square,  bounded  on  the  north  by  Tenth  Street,  south 
by  Seventh  Street,  east  by  the  river,  and  west  by  Avenue 
A,  was  laid  out  in  1807  by  three  commissioners,  Gou- 
verneur Morris,  Simon  De  Witt,  and  John  Rutherfurd,  but 
subsequently  was  abolished  by  an  Act  of  the  Legislature. 


KIP'S  HOUSE 


CHAPTER  II 
1816,   Continued — jacob  radcliffe,  mayor 

Of  hotels  there  were  at  this  period  the  City  Hotel, 
opened  in  1805  by  John  Lovett  on  the  site  of  the  present 
Boreel  Building  in  Broadway  ;  the  Franklin  House, 
corner  of  Broadway  and  Dey  Street;  the  Park  Place 
Hotel,  corner  of  Broadway  and  Park  Place;  Congress 
Hall,  Broadway  near  John  Street;  Washington  Hall,  on 
the  site  of  the  Stewart  Building  ;  the  Northern  Hotel, 
foot  of  Cortlandt  Street;  the  Bull's  Head,  on  site  of  the 
Bowery,  now  the  Thalia  Theatre;  the  Steamboat  Hotel, 
Beekman  Street,  and  Hankin's  steamboat  bar-room  at 
foot  of  Catharine  Street.  On  the  east  side  of  Broadway, 
between  Twenty-first  and  Twenty-second  streets,  there 
was  an  old  and  well-known  hostelry,  known  as  the 
Buck's  Horn;  which  name  was  conspicuously  painted 
under  a  representation  of  a  buck's  head  and  horns, 
elevated  on  a  post  which  was  set  in  a  line  with  the 
present  curb,  the  dwelling  being  set  back  for  many  feet, 
on  ground  rising  fully  ten  feet  above  the  present  grade 
of  Broadway  (see  p.  247).  This  scant  array  of  hotels 
in  New  York,  at  a  time  within  the  memory  of  living  men, 
may  almost  more  sharply  than  any  thing  else  reveal  to 
the  New-Yorkers  of  to-day  the  difference  between  the 
town  then  and  now,  when  it  is  so  filled  with  these  houses 
that  even  an  expert,  taking  time  and  pains,  will  scarcely 
succeed  in  numbering  the  hotels  even  of  the  higher 
grade — many  of  them  veritable  palaces. 

The  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  originally  the 
King's   College,    built    in   1767,   and    located    in  Barclay 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,    MAYOR 


29 


Street,  near  Broadway,  was  the  only  institution  of  the 
kind.  The  New  York  Hospital  stood  in  the  centre  of 
the  block  included  by  Broadway,  Church,  Anthony,  and 
Duane  streets.     In  front  a  lawn  extended  to  Broadway, 


WASHINGTON    HALL 

and  thereupon  various  societies,  as  the  Firemen's,  were 
permitted  to  assemble  on  occasion  of  annual  parades,  etc. 
The  Tontine  Building,  known  as  The  Coffee  House,  at 
the  corner  of  Wall  and  Water  streets,  was  then  com- 
paratively new,  having  been  erected  in  1794  by  an  Asso- 
ciation of  a  number  of  merchants  and  founded  for  the 
purpose  of  providing  an  Exchange,  as  such  assemblages 
are  termed,  for  the  daily  meeting  and  interchange  of 
views,  purchases,  sales,  etc.      The  fund   for  its  construe- 


30  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

tion  was  raised  by  life  annuities;  the  whole  to  revert  to 
the  survivor,  on  what  is  known  as  the  Tontine  plan.  In 
this  case  the  plan  provided  for  distribution  of  the  prop- 
erty among  seven  survivors  of  a  company  of  two  hundred 
and  three  persons  named  by  the  original  subscribers,  one 
person  for  each  share.  In  1876  the  division  was  made, 
the  seven  surviving  nominees  being  William  Bayard, 
Gouverneur  Kemble,  Robert  Benson,  Jr.,  Daniel  Hoff- 
man, Horatio  G.  Stevens,  Mrs.  John  A.  King,  and  Mrs. 
William  P.  Campbell  (see  illustration,  p.  48). 

In  the  strait  known  and  termed  as  the  East  River,  though 
it  is  in  nowise  a  river,  there  was  off  Hallett's  Point,  in 
Hell  Gate,  a  sunken  rock  of  a  peculiar  form,  which  gave 
rise  to  a  whirlpool  known  as  The  Pot,  which  at  half 
flows  of  the  tide  was  of  an  area  and  volume  to  render 
navigation  in  small  vessels  hazardous.  Modern  engineer- 
ing has  divested  this  strait  of  its  terrors.  Blackwell's 
Island  was  at  this  time  still  in  private  hands.  More  than 
two  centuries  ago  it  was  owned  and  occupied  by  John 
Manning,  an  ex-sheriff  of  New  York,  who  was  in  com- 
mand of  the  city  and  surrendered  it  to  the  Dutch  on 
their  attack  in  1673;  for  which  feat  he  was  promptly 
cashiered  by  the  English  when  they  had  renewed  their 
possession.  Manning  left  the  island  to  his  daughter,  the 
wife  of  Robert  Blackwell.  The  City  bought  it  in  1828  for 
fifty  thousand  dollars.  The  islands  now  called  Ward's 
and  Randall's  were  then  known  as  Great  and  Little  Barn 
Islands,  "  Barn  "  being  apparently  a  corruption  of  Barent, 
an  earlier  name.  Even  "  Randall's  "  seems  an  incorrect 
title,  since  the  city  bought  this  property  in  1835  (also  for 
fifty  thousand  dollars)  from  the  executors  of  Jonathan 
Randall,  who  had  given  twenty-four  pounds  for  it  about 
seventy  years  earlier.  This  island,  then  held  by  British 
troops,  was  the  scene  of  a  sharp  action  in  September,  1776, 
when  the  assaulting  column  of  Americans  suffered  a  repulse 
with  the  loss  of  twenty-two  killed,  and  failed  to  gain  the 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,    MAYOR 


31 


THE    ROTUNDA 


British  ammunition  and  stores  which  were  the  cause  of 
the  attempted  surprise.  Coney  Island  was  known  only 
as  a  favorable  though  remote  place  for  sea-bathing,  with 
abundant  clams  in  its  creek. 

The  Post-office  at  this  date  was  at  the  corner  of  Garden 
(Exchange  Place)  and  William  streets,  on  the  first  floor 
of  a  three-story  house,  in  a  single  room  forty  feet  in 
length,  above  which  resided  the  Postmaster,  Theodorus 
Bailey.  The  entire  Southern  Mail,  enclosed  in  two  bags, 
was  transported  from  Paulus  Hook  (Jersey  City)  in  a  row- 
boat.  One  of  the  basement  rooms  of  the  City  Hall,  a 
house  in  Eldridge  Street,  and  one  in  Christopher  Street, 
were  occupied  by  the  city  watchmen,  a  small  band  of 
Argus-eyed  guardians  of  the  peace,  who  were  mustered 
at  6.30  p.  m.  in  the  winter  and  9  in  summer,  and  left  for 
their  homes  soon  after  daylight.  For  day  service  there 
were  a  High  Constable  (Jacob  Hays)  and  but  twelve  police 


32  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

officers;  office,  Xo.  i,  Basement  of  City  Hall.  The  courts 
were  all  held  in  the  City  Hall.  Between  the  area  of  the 
park,  fronting  on  Chambers  Street,  and  on  the  site  of  the 
present  building  of  the  Court  of  Sessions,  was  a  circular 
building  known  as  The  Rotunda,  which  was  used  for  the 
setting  and  exhibition  of  large  paintings,  statuary,  etc., 
erected  by  subscription  at  the  instance  of  John  Vanderlyn, 
an  artist;  the  Corporation  having  granted  the  ground  free 
for  a  period  of  ten  years,  with  the  condition  that  the  build- 
ing was  to  become  the  property  of  the  city  at  the  termina- 
tion of  the  grant.  In  it,  panoramic  views  of  the  Battle  of 
Waterloo,  the  Palace  and  Garden  of  Versailles,  the  City 
of  Mexico,  and  others  were  exhibited.  This  building 
was  occupied  as  a  Post-office  after  the  great  fire  in  1835, 
and  subsequently  by  the  Croton  Aqueduct   Department. 

The  salary  of  the  Chancellor  of  the  State  and  the 
Judges  of  the  Superior  Courts  was  but  two  thousand 
dollars,  and  that  of  the  Circuit  Judges  twelve  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars.  The  Court  of  Sessions  was  presided 
over  by  the  Recorder  and  two  Aldermen;  the  Recorder, 
who  sat  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  over 
which  the  Mayor  presided,  was  Richard  Riker  (famous 
as  "Dicky"  Riker).  In  case  of  fires,  the  watchmen  in 
their  vicinity  gave  the  alarm  to  members  of  the  Common 
Council,  who  attended  the  fire,  bearing  wands  as  insignia 
of  their  authority. 

The  public  officers  at  this  period,  and  for  many  years 
afterward,  were,  as  a  class,  and  with  some  very  notable 
exceptions,  of  a  different  stamp  from  those  of  a  much 
later  and  the  present  day.  The  Mayor  was  elected  by 
the  Board  of  Aldermen;  Judges,  Sheriffs,  Coroners,  and 
Recorders  were  appointed  by  the  Governor  of  the  State; 
primary  elections  were  unknown,  and  meetings  composed 
of  business  men  and  tax-paying  citizens,  for  the  nomina- 
tion of  State  and  City  officers,  were  usually  held  in  the 
public  hall  or  parlors  of  some   of   the    principal    hotels. 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,    MAYOR 


33 


Notably,  a  convention  for  the  nomination  of  a  candidate 
for  Alderman  of  the  Fifth  Ward,  in  this  year,  was  called 


SECOND   TAMMANY    HALL 


under  the  signatures  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  ward, 
and  the  place  of  meeting  was  the  Washington  Hall 
(Broadway,  between  Chambers  and  Reade  streets — see 
p.  29),  which  would   correspond  to  the  Windsor  or  Mur- 

2 


34  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

ray  Hill  Hotel  at  this  time.  Candidates  for  an  elective 
office  did  not  then  expend  in  the  canvass  twice,  or,  as  in 
some  cases  of  a  later  date,  ten  times  the  amount  of  pay 
attached  to  the  office  sought  for.  Candidates  also  did 
not  seek  support  by  the  organization  of  and  tribute  to 
target  companies,  associations,  balls,  pique  niques,  etc. ;  to 
have  done  so  would  have  ensured  their  decided  defeat. 
Inspectors  of  election  were  appointed  by  the  Common 
Council.  The  ale-house  at  Frankfort  Street  near  the  old 
site  of  Tammany  Hall  (the  present  Sun  newspaper  office), 
known  as  the  "  Pewter  Mug,"  kept  by  Mrs.  Lynch  up 
to  1847-48,  when  it  was  leased  by  Thomas  Dunlap,  was 
for  many  years  before  and  after  this  period  the  resort  of 
the  leading  Democratic  politicians  of  the  time;  and  it  was 
here  that  the  claims  of  their  candidates  were  discussed 
and  decided  upon. 

The  fences  around  the  Park  and  Battery  were  wooden 
pickets;    flagged    stone   street  crossings  were  unknown, 

and  sidewalks  were  ordinarily 
paved  with  bricks.  Snow  re- 
mained upon  the  streets  until 
removed  by  a  melting  change 
of  temperature,  and  as  there 
was  a  total  absence  of  street- 

1,,,,-mifirto      .  jgfc.       car  rails>   carts  and  wheeled 
vehicles    were    replaced    by 
sleds    and    sleighs,   even    to 
carriage-     and     hack-bodies 
tower  at  hallett-s  point        being   set    upon   runners,  as 

is  still  the  case  in  Boston, 
for  example,  when  they  were  termed  booby  hacks; 
the  sleighing  was  thus  maintained  in  good  condition, 
and  often  it  continued  for  weeks.  The  front  walls  of 
houses,  and  even  of  public  buildings,  were  constructed 
wholly  of  brick  with  freestone  or  bluestone  trimmings, 
and  it    was  not   until    many   years  afterward    that   even 


A 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,   MAYOR  35 

marble  trimmings  were  introduced,  and  not  until  some 
time  in  the  thirties  that  freestone  was  adopted  for  the 
fronts.  In  a  very  large  majority  of  cases,  merchants, 
shop-keepers,  lawyers,  etc.,  resided  over  their  stores  or 
offices.  Venders  of  oysters,  clams,  fish,  buns,'  yeast,  hot 
spiced  gingerbread,  tea-rusk,  and  hot  corn,  yelped  their 
wares  through  the  streets.  The  "clam  man,"  with  a  cart 
drawn  by  a  blind,  lame,  or  venerable  derelict  from  the 
Horse  Market,  regaled  one  with  his, 

"  Here's  clams,  here's  clams,  here's  clams  to-day, 
They  lately  came  from  Rockaway  ; 
They're  good  to  roast,  they're  good  to  fry, 
They're  good  to  make  a  clam  pot-pie. 
Here  they  go  !  " 

The  baker's  boy,  in  the  afternoon,  took  a  basket  with 
fresh-baked  tea  rusk,  and  cried,  "Tea  ruk,  ruk,  ruk, 
tea  ruk";  and  the  negro  woman,  in  the  summer  and  fall 
of  the  year,  with  a  simple  bandanna  kerchief  on  her  head, 
toted  a  pail,  and  shouted,  "  Hot  corn,  hot  corn,  here's 
your  lily  white  hot  corn;  hot  corn,  all  hot;  just  come  out 
of  the  boiling  pot !  "  And  then  another  of  a  like  type, 
also  toted  and  shouted,  "Baked  pears,*  baked  pears, 
fresh  baked,  baked  pears !  " 

Roller  skating  was  not  known  here  until  1838,  when 
the  Ravels  introduced  it  in  their  "  Patineurs,"  and  so 
novel  was  it  that  it  caused  much  comment  as  to  how  it 
could  be  effected. 

Chimney-sweeps,  rendered  necessary  by  the  general 
use  of  wood  or  bituminous  coal,  saluted  the  early  morn- 
ing with  "  Sweep  O  !  Sweep  O  !  " 

The  City  Directory  for  the  year  contained  but  19,939 
names. 

The  water  supply  at  this  period  and  for  many  years 
afterward,  until  introduction  of  the  Croton,  was  largely 
derived    from    wooden    pumps    set    commonly    at    street 


36 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


corners,  at  intervals  of  about  four  blocks.  In  Chatham 
Street,  at  the  corner  of  Roosevelt,  stood  the  celebrated 
Tea  Water  Pump,  of  which  it  was  alleged  by  the  house- 
keepers who  drew  from  it,  that  it  made  better  tea  than 
any  other  water;  it  was  supplied  by  a  spring  from  the 
hill  of  sand  leading  up  to  the  junction  of  Harman  Street 
(East  Broadway)  and  the  Bowery.  Near  Bethune, 
(West  Fourth  Street),  also  was  a  spring  of  exceptionally 
pure  water,  owned  by  a  Mr.  Knapp,  who  distributed  its 
product  from  carts  at  two  cents  per  pail.  Further 
supply  was  obtained  from  the  Manhattan  Company 
(familiar  now  only  as  the  Manhattan  Bank).     The  water 

furnished  by  this 
company  was  raised 
from  a  well  in 
Reade,  near  Centre 
Street,  by  a  sun 
and  planet  wheel 
steam-engine,  con- 
structed in  Eng- 
land, and  thence 
was  driven  into  a 
reservoir  on  Cham- 
bers Street,  and  dis- 
tributed in  some 
streets  through  log 
pipes.  In  the  yards 
of  all  houses  and 
stores  cisterns  were 
placed  to  receive 
the  rear  water  from 
the  rain  roofs  (roofs  were  pitched  in  those  times),  and 
from  them  water  was  drawn  by  a  bucket  and  pole  for 
laundry  purposes  and  by  the  suction  hose  of  fire-engines. 
The  facilities  for  local  travel  in  that  year  will  appear 
to  readers  of  the  present   time  even  more  restricted  than 


STREET   PUMP 


1 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,   MAYOR  39 

were  the  boundaries  of  New  York.  Thus,  within  the  city- 
proper  one  had  to  go  on  foot  or  take  a  "hack."  The 
public  passenger  conveyance  to  Harlem  was  by  a  stage 
leaving  Harlem,  at  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth  Street 
and  Third  Avenue,  early  in  the  morning,  arriving  in  Park 
Row  and  leaving  there  in  the  afternoon.  Fare,  twenty- 
five  cents.  The  Greenwich  neighborhood  was  served  by 
Asa  Hall,  who  had  a  stable  in  Hudson  Street,  corner  of 
Charles  Street,  and  ran  a  stage,  five  round  trips  per  day,  to 
the  southwest  corner  of  Pine  and  Nassau  Streets,  leaving 
Greenwich  at  the  even  hour  and  returning  at  the  odd. 
Fare,  twenty-five  cents.  But  seven  regular  ferries  were 
in  operation,  employing  among  them  but  two  boats  that 
were  propelled  by  steam,  one  to  Brooklyn  and  one  to 
Paulus  Hook  (Jersey  City) ;  all  others  were  horse-boats  or 
sail-boats.  The  ferries  were  the  Fulton,  to  Brooklyn,  and 
the  Cortlandt  Street,  to  Jersey  City,  each  having  one 
double  (or  a  twin)  steamboat,  and  Fulton  Ferry  a  horse- 
boat  and  two  sail-boats  besides  ;  the  Catherine  Street,  also 
to  Brooklyn,  and  the  Grand  Street,  to  Williamsburg,  had 
each  two  horse-boats;  the  Staten  Island,  the  Hoboken, 
and  the  Bull's  Ferry,  from  foot  of  Vesey  Street,  to  Bull's 
Ferry,  New  Jersey,  were  operated  by  means  of  peri- 
aguas  (small  decked  vessels  with  two  masts  and  boom 
sails),  termed  "  perry-augers,"  and,  with  the  exceptions 
of  the  Brooklyn  and  Paulus  Hook  ferries,  at  places  after 
the  hours  in  the  evening  for  the  running  of  the  boats, 
these  periaguas  were  resorted  to.  They  have  wholly  dis- 
appeared. The  fare  for  a  passage  on  the  ferry-boats  to 
Brooklyn  was  four  cents;  on  those  to  Hoboken,  twelve 
and  a  half  cents.  The  boat  to  Paulus  Hook  was  unable 
to  make  the  trip  in  presence  of  a  severe  wind  from  the 
northwest.  In  winter,  the  floating  ice  from  the  Hudson 
River  above  would  be  blown  by  the  northwest  winds 
against  the  piers  on  the  North  River  side  of  the  city 
and,    freezing    firm,     would    so    completely    arrest    the 


40  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

requirements  of  navigation  that  it  was  quite  customary 
for  sea-going  vessels  in  the  winter  season  to  remove  to 
the  East  River  to  avoid  this  embargo,  and  the  Paulus 
Hook,  and  even  the  Hoboken,  ferry-boats  would  fre- 
quently be  compelled  to  land  and  receive  passengers  at 
Whitehall,  that  is,  at  the  foot  of  Broadway. 

Regarding  the  blockading  of  the  river  fronts  and  piers 
at  this  point  and  for  many  years  afterward,  it  is  to  be 
borne  in  mind  that  there  were  less  than  ten  steamboats 
in  service,  even  in  the  summer,  and  not  five  in  the  winter. 
The  transportation  of  the  harbor,  in  consequence  of  the 
total  absence  of  steam  tow-boats,  or  tugs,  as  they  are 
now  termed,  was  actual  navigation.  Thus,  vessels  sailed 
up  to  their  wharves  or  piers,  and  when  leaving,  if  the 
wind  was  adverse,  a  kedge  was  carried  out  to  windward 
and  the  vessel  warped  out  to  it,  from  whence  sail  was 
set,  and  as  a  consequence  the  floating  ice  was  not  broken 
up  as  it  was  at  a  later  period,  and  is  at  the  present  time, 
by  the  constant  passage  of  steamers,  steamboats,  and 
tugs.  The  blockades  of  ice  in  severe  weather  would 
extend  over  half  the  way  across  the  North  River,  fur- 
nishing skating  for  men  and  boys,  while  the  open  water 
bordering  it  would  be  studded  with  wild-fowl,  some  of 
which — the  divers — after  the  ice  had  disappeared  would 
remain  late,  and  come  close  to  the  Battery  walls,  so  that 
boys  amused  themselves  with  throwing  stones  at  them. 
In  January  of  this  year,  in  consequence  of  the  continued 
prevalence  of  extreme  cold,  and  the  closing  of  the 
rivers  and  bays,  firewood  became  so  scarce  that  hickory 
sold  at  twenty-three  dollars  per  cord,  and  oak  at  ten 
dollars. 

Travelling  to  other  places  was  a  serious  undertaking, 
compared  with  the  ease  and  comfort  of  modern  methods. 
It  was  exclusively  by  stage,  excepting  to  points  which 
could  be  reached  by  water  in  the  season  when  navigation 
was  open.      Stage  offices  existed  in  different  parts  of  the 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,    MAYOR  43 

city — as  the  Philadelphia,  Eastern,  Albany,  Paterson, 
Monmouth,  Elizabethtown,  Newark,  etc. — for  arrival  and 
departure,  at  stated  hours,  of  stages  bearing  passengers 
and  mails.  At  such  hours  there  were  scenes  of  bustle 
and  activity.  Hence  to  Boston  was  accomplished  by  a 
steamboat,  the  Fulton,  from  the  foot  of  Fulton  Street, 
East  River,  leaving  at  5  a.  m.,  reaching  Xew  Haven  at 
7  p.  M.,  whence  passengers  and  mails  were  transferred  to 
the  Connecticut,  reaching  Xew  London  very  early  in  the 
following  morning,  and  thence  by  stage  via  Providence; 
time  thirty-eight  hours.  Returning,  the  time  was  length- 
ened, as  there  were  two  nights  upon  the  route,  one  at 
Xew  London  and  one  from  Xew  Haven  to  Xew  York; 
time  fifty-two  hours.  Boston  by  mail-coaches  via  Xew 
Haven  and  Hartford  thirty-eight  hours,  and  to  Philadel- 
phia in  winter  the  route  was  by  steamboat  and  stage  six 
times  per  week,  leaving  Xew  York  at  7.30  a.  m.  and  arriving 
in  Philadelphia  at  11  a.  m.  the  following  day;  and  in  the 
summer  via  steamboat  to  Xew  Brunswick  and  steamboat 
from  Bordentown,  a  trip  of  fifteen  hours.  To  reach 
Washington,  advertised  as  "expeditious  travelling,"  in  a 
stage  seating  six  persons,  three  days'  time  was  expended. 
To  Albany  in  the  winter,  two  days  and  one  night  were  very 
painfully  disposed  of  for  a  fare  of  eight  dollars,  while  in 
the  summer  the  Albany  boat,  running  three  times  per 
week,  on  one  fortuitous  occasion  accomplished  the  dis- 
tance in  19^4  hours,  for  which  feat  the  performer  of  this 
oft-told  triumph,  the  Chancellor  Livingston,  enjoyed  the 
then  enviable  reputation  of  "the  skimmer  of  the  river." 
To  Albany  by  sloop  was  a  common  method,  though  most 
uncertain  in  point  of  time;  one  of  my  old  acquaintances 
well  remembered  that  in  1802  he  was  nine  days  going 
from  Xew  York  to  Albany  in  a  sloop.  There  were  no 
less  than  twenty-six  vessels  plying  to  Albany  at  this 
date,  and  two  hundred  and  six  in  regular  service  on  the 
Hudson,  to  the  different  towns  on  its  banks. 


44  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

This  year  a  New  York  and  Liverpool  line  of  packets 
was  first  established — the  Black  Ball,  Isaac  Wright  &  Son, 
Benjamin  Marshall,  Jeremiah  and  Francis  Thompson;  and 
afterward  Chas.  H.  Marshall  &  Goodhue  &  Co. ;  sailing  on 
the  ist  of  each  month,  and  in  six  months  after,  on  the  16th 
also;  four  hundred  to  five  hundred  tons' burthen;  average 
time  up  to  1825,  outer  passage  twenty-three  days,  inner 
forty  days.  European  travel,  however,  was  almost  wholly 
confined  to  purposes  of  business,  and  even  this  was  of 
rare  occurrence.  The  arrival  of  a  vessel  in  this  year  is 
heralded  as  bringing  news  "  forty  days  later  from 
Europe."  Prior  to  the  organization  of  a  line  of  ves- 
sels from  this  port  to  Europe,  the  mail  service  was 
performed  by  British  packets  of  less  than  two  hundred 
tons,  hence  to  Falmouth  via  Halifax  and  Quebec,  sailing 
on  the  first  Wednesday  in  each  month.  In  the  winter 
season  the  service  from  Halifax  to  Quebec  was  suspended. 

The  Eastern  mail  to  Boston,  three  times  weekly  via 
New  London  and  three  times  via  Hartford,  Springfield, 
and  Worcester,  left  at  6  a.  m.,  and  arrived  at  the  same 
hour  of  the  third  day.  The  Southern  mail  to  Philadel- 
phia left  at  12.30  p.  m.,  and  arrived  at  6  a.  m.  The  post- 
age of  a  single  letter,  which  was  required  to  be  on  a 
single  sheet,  hence  to  Philadelphia,  was  12^  cents;  to 
Albany,  Boston,  and  Washington,  18^  cents,  and  to  any 
place,  however  short  the  distance,  as  hence  to  Harlem, 
6y£  cents.  In  determining  the  rate  it  was  doubled, 
tripled,  etc.,  for  every  additional  piece  of  detached 
paper.  Envelopes,  except  for  Government  documents, 
were  unknown.  Foreign  postal  arrangements  were  very 
different  from  those  of  this  time.  Instead  of  deposit- 
ing letters  in  the  Post-office,  letter-bags  in  general 
were  furnished  by  the  agents  or  consigners  of  vessels 
and  kept  at  their  offices,  and  in  these  the  letters  were 
deposited;  but  the  bags  for  the  European  vessels  were 
kept  in  the  Tontine  Coffee  House  (Merchants'  Exchange) 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,   MAYOR  47 

where  subscribers  to  the  Exchange,  or  members  thereof, 
had  the  privilege  of  depositing  their  letters,  but  non- 
subscribers  were  charged  twenty-five  cents  per  letter. 
The  name  of  a  vessel  arriving  off  the  port  was  known 
by  distinguishing  letters  painted  on  her  foretopsail, 
which  were  observed  from  a  lookout  station  at  the 
Narrows,  and  indicated  to  the  observer  at  the  Bat- 
tery, in  clear  weather,  by  the  operation  of  the  ancient 
telegraph. 

The  daily  morning  and  evening  papers  were  the  New 
York  Gazette,  established  in  1725  as  a  weekly  and  in  1809 
as  a  daily,  at  116  Pearl  Street,  by  Lang  &  Turner,  now 
in  Hanover  Square  ;  Mercantile  Advertiser,  by  Butler  & 
Heyer,  in  1807,  at  159  Pearl  Street,  and  in  this  year  at 
83  Pine  Street  ;  The  Advocate,  by  M.  M.  Noah,  in  1813  at 
73  Pine  Street  ;  New  York  Evening  Post,  established 
November  16,  1801,  by  William  Coleman,  106  and  108  Pine 
Street,  then  by  Michael  Burnham,  a  printer  at  42  Pine 
Street  ;  New  York  Courier,  established  the  year  pre- 
vious at  87  Pearl  Street;  Commercial  Advertiser,  first  pub- 
lished in  1793  by  Noah  Webster,  and  known  as  The  Spec- 
tator, then  changed  as  above;  the  weekly  edition  being 
termed  The  New  York  Spectator,  in  1805-06,  at  69  Pine 
Street,  and  in  this  year  at  60  Wall  Street,  by  William  L. 
Stone,  and  later,  1820,  with  Francis  Hall.  Sunday  edi- 
tions of  a  newspaper  were  unknown,  and  all  papers  were 
delivered  by  the  publishers  at  the  offices  or  dwellings  of 
the  subscribers.  Advertising  at  this  period,  and  for  fully 
fifty  years  after,  was  practised  on  a  very  different  basis 
from  that  of  the  present  time.  Merchants,  packet 
agents,  etc.,  then  advertised  by  the  year  for  forty  dollars, 
and  they  could  have  as  many  advertisements  as  they 
thought  proper.  They  did  not  occupy  the  space  that  is 
required  by  many  at  this  time,  as  they  did  not  resort  to 
ad  eaptandutn  and  "displayed"  headings  and  matter. 
Printing  was  executed  by  hand,  the  form,  instead  of  being 


48 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


inked  by  a  roller  as  was  later  practised,  was  inked  by  a 
boy  wielding  a  pad  and  a  ball,  who  was  known  as  the 
printer's  devil.  The  contrast  between  the  newspapers  of 
that  time  and  of  the  present — not  always  and  altogether 
in  favor  of  the  modern  production — is   perhaps  as  great 


Hit  S!  !!i  ii . 


fill  liift 


u 


TONTINE  COFFEE  HOUSE 

as   any  contrast  of   the  two  periods  that  can  be  pointed 
out. 

In  the  absence  of  sewer  discharge  into  the  slips  on  our 
river  front,  the  water  was  so  clear  that  fish  were  readily 
taken  in  the  river,  and  porgies  so  plentiful  that  they 
were  hawked  about  the  streets  for  one  cent  apiece  ;  the 
average  price  at  this  time  (1894)  being  twelve  cents  per 
pound.  Off  the  bridge  to  Castle  Garden,  afterward 
(1823)  removed  and  the  entire  space  between  the  fort 
and  the  shore  filled  in,  there  was  excellent  fishing  for 
striped  bass,  weakfish,  drum,  etc.,  in  their  seasons.      The 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,    MAYOR 


49 


house  of  Peter  G.  Stuyvesant  was  remotely  out  of  the 
town,  being  east  of  the  First  Avenue  and  between  Eighth 
and  Ninth  streets,  and  that  of  Nicholas  W.  Stuyvesant 
was  between  Thirteenth  and  Sixteenth  streets  and  Ave- 
nue A  and  First  Avenue.     (See   pp.  76   and  318.) 

The  banks  of  deposit  and  discount  at  this  period  were 
the  Bank  of  New  York,  1784,  No.  125  Pearl  Street,  1798, 
No.  32  Wall,  corner  William  Street,  its  present  location; 
Manhattan,  1800,  23  Wall  Street;  Bank  of  America,  1812, 
corner  of  Wall  and  William  streets  ;  City,  181 2,  38  Wall 
Street;  America,  1814,  17  Wall  Street;  Merchants',  25, 
Mechanics',  16,  Phoenix  (N.  Y.  Manufacturing  Co.)  at  24, 
Union  at  17,  and  Exchange,  29  Wall  Street  and  Branch 
Bank  of  the  United  States  at  65  Broadway;  and  fourteen 
Insurance  Companies — Fire  and  Marine. 

The  numbers  of  Wall  Street  differed  from  those  of  the 
present  time. 

The  combined  number  of  Roman  Catholics  in  the 
States  of  New  York  and  New  Jersey  was  estimated  at 
thirteen  thousand;  this  would  give  not  to  exceed  four 
thousand  for  the  city  of  New  York. 


KING'S  BRIDGE 


CHAPTER    III 
1816,  Continued — jacob  radcliffe,   mayor 

But  one  theatre  was  open  in  the  city,  the  Park,  built 
in  1798,  standing  at  23  Park  Row,  and  running  back  to 
Theatre  Alley,  which  extends  from  Ann  to  Beekman 
Street.  There  was  one  smaller  in  Anthony  Street,  near 
Broadway,  which  had  been  opened  in  1814,  but  now  was 
unoccupied,  and  later  was  the  site  of  Christ  Church.  Con- 
cerning further  means  of  amusement,  it  may  be  noted 
here  that  at  this  date  bull-  and  bear-baiting  was  practised 
as  neither  unlawful  nor  improper.  The  first  theatre  in 
New  York  was  opened  in  1750  in  Kip  (Nassau)  Street, 
between  John  Street  and  Maiden  Lane.  In  1761  a  thea- 
tre was  built  on  the  lower  side  of  Beekman  Street,  near 
Nassau,  in  which  during  that  year  ''Hamlet"  was  pre- 
sented for  the  first  time  in  America.  This  house  was 
wrecked  during  a  riot  over  the  Stamp  Act  in  1765.  In 
1767  the  John  Street  Theatre,  on  the  north  side  near 
Broadway,  was  opened;  in  1776  the  Montague  Garden 
on  Broadway,  between  Chambers  and  Barclay  streets; 
and  in  1785  two  new  theatres  were  opened,  one  in  William 
Street  and  one  in  lower  Greenwich  Street ;  doors  open 
at  5.15,  and  curtain  raised  at  6  p.  m. 

At  the  Park  the  hour  of  opening  was  half-past 
six,  the  performance  beginning  at  half-past  seven.  It 
was  universally  the  custom  to  give  two  pieces  of  per- 
formance, generally  a  tragedy  and  a  comedy;  and  some- 
times three  pieces  were  given,  and  between  the  pieces  a 
comic  song,  a  pas  sent  or  pas  de  deux  by  danseuses.  The 
pit,  now  termed  pan/ uet%   was  provided  with  board  benches 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,    MAYOR  5 1 

without  cushions,  and  occupied  exclusively  by  men  and 
boys;  the  boxes  were  enclosed  in  the  rear,  the  entrance 
to  them  through  a  locked  door  jealously  guarded  by  a 
keeper.  There  was  an  advantage  in  this  which  fully  com- 
pensated any  inconvenience  attendant  upon  it,  inasmuch 
as  the  rear  wall  of  the  box  reflected  sounds  from  the 
stage;  from  which  cause,  added  to  the  circumstance  that 
the  interiors  of  the  buildings  were  less  ornate  than  at  a 
later  day,  the  voices  on  the  stage  wrere  much  more  audible 
than  with  the  open  seats.  This  arrangement  left  a  wide 
space  for  lobby  or  foyer,  in  which  it  was  customary  for 
the  male  portion  of  the  audience  during  the  acts  to 
promenade.  In  the  second  tier  there  was  a  moderate 
restaurant,  and  in  the  third  tier  a  bar.  In  this  theatre 
there  was  a  very  perfect  whispering  gallery;  the  peculiar 
face  and  arching  of  the  proscenium  enabled  a  sound 
delivered  on  one  side  in  the  third  tier  to  be  distinctly 
audible  on  the  opposite  side.  Upon  this  becoming 
known  it  was  availed  of  by  humorists,  to  the  dismay  and 
annoyance  of  many  who  were  ignorant-  of  it.  In  the 
third  tier  of  theatres  before  this  time,  and  for  many  years 
after,  the  class  of  females  erroneously  termed  demi-monde 
were  permitted  to  be  present,  and  on  several  occasions 
parties  who  had  better  have  been  absent,  being  seated  in 
the  end-box,  and  near  the  arch,  were  dismayed  at  hearing 
a  voice  near  to  them  advising  them  to  go  home  and  attend 
to  their  families,  etc.  Prior  to  the  closing  of  the  theatre 
for  the  summer  recess,  it  was  the  custom  to  set  apart  one 
night's  performance,  known  as  "ticket  night,"  for  the 
benefit  of  the  employes  of  the  house. 

Not  a  few  citizens  yet  living  find  pleasure  in  reviving 
in  their  conversation  the  glories  of  "  the  old  Park."  No 
doubt  its  scenery  and  appointments  were  primitive,  com- 
pared with  the  elaborate  provision  made  for  modern 
theatres,  as  a  result  of  the  singular  development  of 
scenic  art  which  has  appeared  in  recent  years.     Excepting 


52  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

only  its  spacious  stage — forty  by  seventy  feet — the  Park 
lacked  nearly  everything-  in  the  way  of  physical  appli- 
ances that  are  considered  necessary  in  our  theatres;  but 
it  is  probably  within  reason  to  maintain  that  in  the 
quality  of  its  acting  and  of  its  audiences  it  remains  unap- 
proached,  and  that  no  theatre  of  the  present  period  holds 
the  primacy,  or  even  supremacy,  which  it  enjoyed  without 
challenge.  Even  the  present  generation  will  understand 
this  supremacy  of  a  stage  that  witnessed — to  select  only 
a  few  names  from  the  stock  company,  and  stars  that 
shone  at  intervals — the  performances  of  Mrs.  Wheatly, 
Mrs.  Vernon  (for  many  years  afterward  at  Wallack's, 
and  still  "  freshly  remembered  ''),  Mrs.  Sefton,  Miss 
Ellen  Tree,  Miss  Fanny  Kemble,  Miss  Charlotte  Cush- 
man,  Miss  Emma  Wheatly  (Mrs.  Mason),  Miss  Clara 
Fisher  (Mrs.  Maeder),  Edmund  and  Charles  Kean, 
Charles  Kemble,  Junius  Brutus  Booth,  Edwin  Forrest, 
James  Wallack  (father  of  John  Lester  Wallack),  Harry 
and  Tom  Placide,  George  Vandenhoff,  William  Wheatly, 
Tyrone  Power,  Cooke,  Young,  and  Cooper.  Mrs. 
Wheatly,  so  long  and  so  well  known  to  this  theatre, 
daughter  of  an  officer  in  the  British  Army,  accomplished 
actress  and  universal  favorite  both  on  and  off  the  stage, 
made  her  first  appearance  at  the  Park  in  1805.  She 
retired  soon  after,  but  reappeared  in  1815,  and  continued 
her  public  career  until  1848. 

Kinlock  Stuart,  residing  at  40  Barclay  Street  in  1800, 
and  for  some  years  thereafter,  failed  in  his  business,  and 
in  1807  his  wife  began,  in  a  very  humble  way,  the  manu- 
facture of  candies,  preserves,  etc.,  at  271  Greenwich 
Street,  the  partial  site  of  the  present  buildings  that  com- 
posed the  sugar  refinery  of  the  late  R.  L.  &  A.  Stuart. 
Her  business,  from  the  purity  of  her  manufactures,  had 
so  increased  in  1831  that  it  was  assumed  by  her  sons,  who 
soon  after  enjoyed  a  world-wide  reputation  and  amassed 
great    fortunes.       Alex.     Stuart    continued    residence    in 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,   MAYOR  53 

his  house  in  Chambers  Street  until  his  death,  and  was  the 
last  downtown  resident  of  substance  and  position. 

Francis  Guerin  had  opened  in  1815,  at  120  Broadway, 
a  shop  for  confectionery,  supplemented  by  coffee,  choco- 
late, pastry,  liqueurs,  etc. ;  and,  subsequently  extending 
his  premises  to  an  adjoining  room,  he  furnished  and  pro- 
vided it  for  the  convenience  of  ladies'  luncheon.  Ameri- 
can ladies,  however,  in  view  of  the  early  dinner-hour  of  the 
period  and  the  vicinity  of  their  residences  to  the  scene  of 
their  shopping  or  promenading,  had  not  yet  felt  the  need 
of  such  a  convenience.  As  the  area  of  houses  extended 
farther  uptown',  and  the  dinner-hour  became  later,  the 
need  of  such  a  resort  caused  it  to  be  so  well  patron- 
ized that  the  proprietor  was  rewarded  with  a  very  hand- 
some competency;  he  was  the  pioneer  in  this  line  of 
catering  to  the  public  in  New  York.  Restaurants,  other 
than  in  a  room  or  cellar,  and  principally  on  the  river 
fronts,  where  few  and  coarse  victuals  were  served,  were 
unknown. 

The  popular  and  the  largest  dry  goods  stores  were 
those  of  Jotham  Smith,  223  Broadway  (all  on  one  floor), 
on  part  of  the  site  of  the  present  Astor  House  (it  was 
but  one  story  in  height);  King  <S:  Mead,  at  175,  and 
Vandervoort  &  Flandin,  at  in   Broadway. 

Charles  Berrault,  an  ttnigrd  from  St.  Domingo  after  the 
insurrection  there,  being  compelled  to  sustain  himself 
and  family,  opened  a  dancing-school  in  1814  at  300  Green- 
wich Street.  He  was  for  many  years  one  of  the  two 
leading  teachers  of  dancing  in  this  city.  He  afterward 
removed  to  31  Cortlandt  Street,  and  in  1822  to  146  Fulton 
Street,  in  the  Ross  Building. 

The  first  establishment  for  the  repair  and  construc- 
tion of  steam-engines  and  boilers  was  that  of  Robert 
McQueen,  a  Scotch  millwright,  who  in  1806,  in  connec- 
tion with  a  Mr.  Sturtevant,  operated  an  air  furnace 
on    the    corner    of    Barley   and    Cross    streets   (Centre). 


54  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

James  P.  Allaire,  who  had  commenced  business  as  a 
brass-founder  in  the  year  1813  in  the  upper  part  of  Cherry- 
Street,  No.  434,  had  so  extended  his  business  under  the 
patronage  of  Robert  Fulton  and  the  elder  Gibbons,  that 
he  became  the  leading  manufacturer  of  steam-engines, 
boilers,  etc.  The  famous  name  of  the  Allaire  Works 
was  to  be  seen  on  a  vast  number  of  engines,  especially  on 
steamboats,  at  a  time  comparatively  recent. 

Of  the  change  in  social,  domestic,  and  business  cus- 
toms and  conveniences,  from  1816  to  the  present  day, 
none  but  one  who  has  experienced  it  ca'n  give  a  proper 
estimate.  At  the  earlier  date,  bathrooms  were  totally 
wanting  in  private  houses  and  hotels,  and  there  was  but 
one  public  bath,  that  of  Stoppani,  in  Chambers  Street. 
Illuminating  gas  for  the  streets  had  been  read  of  as  a  pos- 
sible practicability.  Clubs,  street  stages  and  cars,  Sunday 
concerts,  steamboat  excursions,  newspaper  venders,  and 
" Extras,"  street  shoe-blacks,  kindling-wood,  expresses, 
organ-grinders,  messenger  boys,  bananas,  oranges — other 
than  those  from  abroad — dates,  grape-fruit,  roasted 
chestnuts,  photographs,  telegraphs,  railways,  chiffoniers, 
drop-letter  boxes,  cabs,  hansoms,  sewing-machines, 
type-writing,  eye-glasses — other  than  spectacles — and 
cigarettes  were  alike  unknown  ;  opposed  to  which  we 
escaped  the  presence  of  "  shysters,"  tramps,  and  the  prac- 
tice of  "  straw  bail  "  in  our  courts,  illustrated  posters,  and 
organ-grinders  ;  but  we  had  pure  milk,  a  legitimate 
drama,  and  a  more  clearly  denned  line  between  man  and 
gentleman,  woman  and  lady  ("  salesladies  "  was  an  appel- 
lation wholly  unknown),  and  a  greater  regard  for  social 
honor  and  business  integrity. 

The  spectacles  worn  by  those  who  required  them  were 
of  a  very  different  design  and  construction  from  that  of 
this  period.  Thus  :  the  side  pieces  were  in  two  lengths, 
one  sliding  partly  within  the  other,  and   retained   in  posi- 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,    MAYOR  57 

tion,  when  used,  by  their  pressure  against  the  sides  of 
the  head.  Light  steel  frames,  resting  over  the  ears, 
spring  bows,  and  pince-nez,  secured  with  a  ribbon  or 
chain,  were  not  known  until  about  1840,  and  not  in  gen- 
eral use  until  many  years  later. 

The  absurdities  of  billiard,  shaving,  and  oyster  "par- 
lors," hair-cutting,  tailor,  boot-making,  and  fashion  "  em- 
poriums," "  anatomical  "  hair-cutting  and  boot-making, 
or  "gentlemen's  and  ladies'  dining-rooms,"  on  West 
or  South  Street,  in  the  condemned  pilot-house  of  an  old 
steamer,  were  unknown.  I,  in  candor,  however,  may 
have  to  acknowledge  to  one  or  two  "  merchant"  tailors, 
but  not  like  too  many  of  a  late  day,  occupying  small  and 
confined  apartments,  with  a  very  narrow  scope  of  cus- 
tom, restricted  more  to  mending  than  making.  Pipe- 
smoking  (other  than  in  common  clay  pipes  by  laborers) 
was  also  unknown. 

For  spirituous  drinks,  in  most  cases,  but  three  cents  per 
glass  was  charged  ;  for  ale,  two  or  three  cents  ;  tobacco 
was  three  cents  a  paper  ;  the  habit  of  chewing  tobacco 
was  then  far  more  common  than  now.  Imported  Havana 
cigars  of  the  best  quality  could  be  bought  for  three  cents, 
or  five  for  a  shilling  (12  ^  cents),  and,  strange  as  it  may 
now  appear,  young  men  carried  them  in  their  hats,  for  it 
is  to  be  borne  in  mind  that  cigar-cases  were  a  rarity,  and 
that  within  hats  there  was  purse-like  diaphragm  lining, 
well  designed  to  retain  a  handful  of  cigars,  a  handker- 
chief, or  a  pair  of  gloves. 

The  fractional  currency,  in  this  and  all  the  States  at 
this  period,  was  very  generally  the  Spanish  coins  of  25, 
12^,  and  6^  cents,  and  they  were  denominated  in  the 
several  States  as  follows:  In  Xew  England,  Kentucky, 
and  Tennessee  the  dollar  was  divided  into  six  shillings, 
and  the  coins  were  termed  quarters,  ninepence,  and  four- 
pence  ha'penny.  In  this  State,  Ohio,  and  Michigan  the 
dollar  was  divided  into  eight  shillings,  and  the  coins  were 


58  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

termed  sixpence,  one  shilling,  and  two  shillings,  accord- 
ing to  value.  In  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Delaware, 
and  Maryland  the  dollar  was  divided  into  seven  shillings 
and  sixpence,  and  the  divisions  were  termed  quarters, 
elevens,  and  fips;  in  South  Carolina  and  Georgia,  into  four 
shillings  and  eightpence,  and  the  divisions  were  known  as 
quarters,  bits,  and  picayunes.  In  consequence  of  the 
derangement  of  the  currency  by  the  war  with  Great 
Britain,  and  the  failure  of  many  country  banks,  pro- 
visions were  scarce  and  dear:  milk,  12^  cents  per  quart; 
flour,  $15  per  barrel;  and,  a  year  later,  butter,  beef,  lard, 
pork,  and  potatoes  were  imported  from  Belfast. 

Perhaps  I  should  here  remark  that  there  was  a  numer- 
ous class  of  caterers  to  the  juvenile  or  junior  tastes  of 
the  public  that  has  wholly  retired  from  operation.  Their 
specialty  was  to  disperse  mead,  spruce  beer,  cakes,  and 
ginger  pop  ;  their  locale  was  almost  universally  designated 
by  a  sign,  on  which,  for  the  mead  and  beer,  was  delineated 
a  bottle  with  a  stream  of  liquor  pouring  from  it  into  a 
tumbler  at  its  side,  with  a  uniformity  of  outline  and  of 
curve  that  would  have  done  credit  to  a  geometrical 
draughtsman.     The  ginger  pop  was  designated  in  a  very 


CORNER   OK   LSROADWAY    AND   MURRAY   STREET,    1816 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,    MAYOR  59 

different  manner,  being  totally  devoid  of  any  illustration 
of  convenience  or  economy;  inasmuch  as  two  men  were 
portrayed  as  fulfilling  the  regulations  of  a  duel,  being 
placed  opposite  to  each  other  and  each  extending  a 
bottle,  from  which  emanated  a  stream  of  liquor  propel- 
ling a  cork,  which  was  as  the  bullet  of  a  pistol. 

New  York  at  this  date  contained  but  two  billiard- 
rooms,  one  in  the  Washington  Hall,  the  other  in  the 
Cafe  Fran$ais  in  Warren  Street  near  Broadway.  Ameri- 
can whiskey  was  not  known  as  a  general  drink,  and  mint 
juleps  were  only  heard  of  as  a  mixture  said  to  be  taken 
by  people  in  the  Southern  States  as  a  preventive  against 
malaria.  Rhine  wines  were  unfamiliar,  and  the  use  of 
champagne  in  either  public  or  private  houses  was  very 
rare. 

The  employment  of  ice  for  any  purpose  but  for  making 
ice-cream  was  unknown.  Families  used  an  enclosed 
structure  called  a  "safe,"  with  woven  wire  sides  and 
ends,  admitting  air  and  excluding  flies  (Croton-bugs  did 
not  then  exist),  and  on  these  alone  they  depended  for 
preservation  of  meats,  milk,  etc.  Even  the  ice-cream 
(water  ices  were  unheard  of)  was  furnished  only  by  Mrs. 
Usher,  in  Broadway,  where  the  New  York  Hotel  lately 
stood;  and  by  John  H.  Contoit  of  the  New  York  Garden, 
in  1801  at  39  Greenwich  Street,  in  1802  at  253  Broadway, 
and  in  1806,  and  for  many  years  after,  at  355  Broadway, 
between  Leonard  and  Franklin  streets.  The  customary 
accommodations  of  these  resorts  were  confined  to  rows  of 
open  apartments,  termed  boxes,  white-washed  or  green- 
painted,  with  a  plain  bare  table  running  through  their 
centre,  with  a  bare  board  seat  on  each  side,  capable  of  seat- 
ing two  persons,  lighted,  that  is,  essayed  to  be,  by  a  dimly 
burning  wick,  floating  in  oil  on  a  stand  outside  the  en- 
trance; colored  waiters  with  their  labelled  numbers  dis- 
played in  front,  expressing,  emphasizing,  and  displaying 
themselves  in  a  manner  known  only  to  their  race,  and  a 


6o 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


bill-of-fare  comprising  ice  cream  (vanilla,  lemon,  or  straw- 
berry, if  in  season),  pound  cake  and  lemonade,  with  the 
exception  that,  at  Contoit's  you  could  be  served  with  a 
glass  of  veritable  claret,  and,  if  I  recollect  right,  one  of 
cognac  too.      Milk  was  borne  in  tin  cans  suspended  from 


ATLANTIC  GARDEN,  NO.  9  BROADWAY 


the  carriers'  shoulders, — frequently  women, — and  was 
supplied  from  cows  within  the  city  limits  or  contiguous 
shores  of  Long  Island  and  New  Jersey.  As  there  were  no 
railroads  or  night  passages  of  river  steamboats,  no  other 
sources  existed  from  which  milk  could  be  obtained. 
Milk  wagons,  "  Orange  County  "  milk  and  milk  bottles, 
and  freshened  or  fortified  milk,  were  equally  unknown. 
There  were  many  cows  which  roamed  the  streets  in  the 
day  and  were  stabled  at  night.  The  slaughtering  of 
animals  for  the  markets  was  wholly  done  by  individual 
butchers  on  their  premises  in  different  parts  of  the  city, 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,   MAYOR  6l 

the  blood  and  offal  being  carried  to  the  river  and 
deposited  there.  Gentlemen  went  to  market,  and  in 
default  of  express  companies,  messengers,  etc.,  often 
carried  home  a  turkey,  chicken,  or  a  leg  of  lamb.  The 
public  authorities  gave  annually  a  prize  to  the  farmer 
who  submitted  to  them  the  best  sample  of  butter  of  his 
production. 

Canned  vegetables  and  fruits  were  also  unknown  ; 
hence,  when  their  season  passed  they  passed,  and  as  rail- 
ways and  interstate  steamboat  lines  did  not  exist,  we  did 
not  receive  the  early  fruits  of  the  South  or  the  game  of 
the  North  and  West.  A  grocer's  store  of  the  time  was 
as  unlike  one  of  this  day  as  if  it  was  that  of  another 
line  of  business,  there  being  a  display  neither  of  bottled 
nor  canned  articles,  fancy  cakes,  biscuits,  etc.,  in  boxes. 
There  were  only  two  leading  grocers  of  the  Park  &  Til- 
ford  grade  of  a  later  period — Richard  Buloid  at  129 
Broadway  and  James  Geery  at  119  Mulberry,  corner  of 
Bayard  Street,  who  was  widely  known  for  the  excellence 
of  his  teas.  Mr.  Richard  Williamson,  one  of  this  class, 
appeared  later  (1825,  at  85  Maiden  Lane). 

The  drive  for  gentlemen  and  others  who  drove  out  of 
an  afternoon  was  limited  on  the  East  side  to  Cato's  (Fifty- 
Fourth  Street  and  Second  Avenue),  a  well-known  resort, 
—see  page  63, — where  imported  Havanas  were  sold,  five 
for  a  shilling  (12^  cents),  and  pure  brandy  at  sixpence 
(6^  cents)  per  glass — and  for  many  years  previous,  and 
later,  even  down  to  1830.  Love  Lane,  before  mentioned, 
was  the  resort  on  Saturday  afternoons  of  cartmen,  fish 
and  oyster  venders,  etc.,  where  their  horses  and  those  of 
others  of  a  like  grade  were  raced  for  such  entrance  stakes 
or  wagers  as  were  mutually  agreed  upon.  The  public 
race-course  was  on  Hempstead  Plains,  and  known  as  the 
New  Market.  The  principal  or  noted  restaurants  were 
De  Cousse's,  in  Reade  Street,  under  Washington  Hall; 
Ainslie's    in    Broadway,    between     Duane    and    Anthony 


62  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

streets;  and  Lovejoy's,  Broadway,  corner  of  Anthony 
Street  (Worth).  Sunday  excursions  on  steamboats,  etc., 
were  unknown.  It  was  only  at  a  later  day,  or  about 
1820,  that  the  "  Green"  and  river  walk  at  Hoboken 
became   a    general   afternoon  resort. 

The  Turtle  Club,  afterward  known  as  the  Hoboken 
Turtle  Club,  was  in  existence;  notices  of  its  meetings  were 
announced  as  dividends  of  twenty  or  twenty-five  per  cent. , 
and  termed  spoon  exercise.  Also  the  Krout  Club,  which 
later  was  presided  over  by  a  Grand  Krout,  who  once  in  a 
year  was  declared  to  have  nodded,  thereby  indicating 
his  assent  to  a  meeting,  which  wras  opened  at  nine  in  the 
morning,  and  continued  until  late  at  night;  at  the  dinner, 
smoked  geese,  "ringlets"  (sausages),  and  sour-crout  were 
the  pieces  of  resistance.  The  symbol  of  the  place  of 
meeting  was  a  cabbage  on  a  pole.  Members  of  the  club 
were  termed  cabbage-heads,  and  a  death  or  absence  was 
termed  wilting. 

On  the  eve  of  Fourth  of  July,  or  Independence  Day, 
booths  were  erected  around  the  City  Hall  Park,  and  roast 
pig>  e§gn°g)  cider,  and  spruce  beer  were  temptingly  dis- 
played. On  the  following  day  the  militia  formed  at  the 
Battery,  paraded  up  Broadway  to  the  City  Hall,  where  it 
was  reviewed  by  the  Mayor  and  Aldermen,  and  after 
executing  a  feu  de  joie  was  dismissed.  The  various  civic 
societies  met,  formed  in  line,  and  marched  through  some 
of  the  principal  streets;  the  Tammany  Society,  by  right 
of  seniority,  being  assigned  to  the  head  of  the  column. 
Evacuation  Day,  or  the  anniversary  of  the  evacuation  of 
the  city  by  the  British,  was  very  generally  observed  at 
this  time.  Horse,  foot,  and  artillery,  together  with  the 
veterans  of  the  war,  paraded.  Salutes  were  fired  in  the 
morning,  and  public  dinners  occupied  the  evening.  My 
readers  are  aware  that  this  day  never  passes  now  without 
at  least  some  slight  observance  in  New  York,  and  many 
of  them  will  remember  the   elaborate  preparations   made 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,    MAYOR  '•; 

for  celebration  of  the  Centennial  Anniversary  in  1883, 
and  the  furious  storm  of  that  day,  which  ruined  a  pageant 
that,  with  fine  weather,  would  have  been  the  most  superb 
ever  witnessed  by  the  city  up  to  that  time. 

The  chief  fuel  of  the  time,  and  for  many  years  after,  was 
wood,  sold  by  the  load  from  the  vessels  that  brought  it 
to  the  city,  each  load  measured  by  a  City  inspector.  It 
was  in  full  length  (four  feet),  delivered  in  the  street  in 
front  of  buildings  or  residences,  where  it  was  sawed  by 
wood  sawyers  (colored)  in  two  lengths  only,  and  occasion- 
ally split.  Steam  sawing  and  splitting  mills  were  not 
introduced  until  very  many  years  after,  and  if  wood-yards 
existed,  I  do  not  recollect  one.  Coal  was  very  little  in 
use  for  domestic  purposes  except  in  parlor  grates;  in  this 
vicinity  it  was  commercially  termed  Liverpool  or  New- 
castle, from  the  names  of  the  ports  from  which  it  was 
shipped,  and  as  it  all  came  from  abroad  was  generally 
known  as  "  sea  coal  ";  a  title  which  it  bore  long  after  the 
mines  of  Virginia  and  Maryland  were  opened,  and  which 
is  heard  in  the  speech  of  old-fashioned  persons  even  to 
this  day.  Anthracite  was  virtually  unknown.  Some  of 
it  had  been  mined  in  Rhode  Island  under  management 
of  the  Rhode  Island  Coal  Co.  of  42  Wall  and  47  Canal 
streets,  which  distributed  samples  of  it  among  a  few  of 
our  well-known  citizens  to  test  and  report  thereon.  One 
of  them,  Martin  S.  Wilkins,  of  53  White  Street,  upon 
being  applied  to  for  his  response  replied  : 

"  I  am  willing  to  certify  that,  under  favorable  circum- 
stances this  coal  is  capable  of  ignition,  and  I  am  willing 
further  to  certify  that,  if  Rhode  Island  is  underlaid  with 
such  coal,  then,  at  the  general  conflagration  which  our 
ministers  predict,  it  will  be  the  last  place  to  burn." 

Furnaces,  hall-stoves,  and  the  air-tight  stoves  for  bed- 
rooms were  absent  from  the  houses  of  the  period;  and  in 
severe  weather  the  best  of  these  houses  were  much  less 
comfortable  than  many  stables  of  this    day.      Warming- 


66  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

pans  for  beds  were  all  but  a  necessity  for  elderly  persons, 
bedrooms  being  so  cold  that  washing  in  the  morning  often 
could  be  done  only  after  first  breaking  the  ice  in  the 
pitcher.  The  facilities  for  procuring  a  light  for  fire  at  the 
present  time  are  so  widely  different  from  and  so  much 
more  convenient  than  methods  at  that  time,  that  the  ques- 
tion has  been  very  frequently  asked,  How  did  we  put  up 
with  such  inconvenience  ?  The  only  reliable  artificial 
method  was  that  of  the  construction  of  a  tinder-box, 
filled  with  tinder  of  well-scorched  rag,  a  flint,  and  a  suit- 
able piece  of  steel;  or  by  the  rapid  operation  of  a  steel 
wheel,  rotated  by  drawing  a  long  cord  previously  wound 
around  its  axis;  to  the  face  of  this  was  applied  a  flint, 
the  sparks  elicited  by  it  falling  upon  the  tinder,  to  which, 
when  ignited,  a  sulphur  or  bituminous  match,  as  it  was 
termed,  was  applied  and  lighted.  The  French  phosphoric 
matches,  borne  in  a  case  with  a  vial  of  a  phosphoric  mix- 
ture and  twenty-five  matches,  price  fifty  cents,  were 
altogether  unreliable.  As  a  consequence  of  the  difficulty 
attendant  upon  these  inconvenient  methods,  when  a  light 
was  required  at  night,  as  in  the  rooms  of  sick  persons, 
city  fire-engine  houses,  etc.,  tapers  in  oil  were  maintained 
lighted. 

The  doors  of  domestic  bedrooms  were  seldom  locked 
at  night  by  the  occupants,  and  the  entrances  to  dwellings 
in  the  summer  season  were  held  to  be  sufficiently  secured, 
in  the  daytime,  by  the  closing  of  an  outer  blind-door. 
House-bells  were  but  very  little  used;  in  a  few  cases  there 
were  bells  for  the  street-door  and  the  parlors,  but  gener- 
ally the  street-door  was  furnished  with  a  knocker,  and  bed- 
rooms were  wholly  without  bells.  The  very  convenient 
custom  of  residents  having  their  names  on  an  engraved 
plate  on  their  front-doors  was  in  general  observance;  it  is 
to  be  regretted  that  it  has  been  abandoned.  Domestic 
service  at  this  period  and  long  afterward,  or  until  the 
introduction    of   illuminating   gas,    hot-air  furnaces,    and 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,    MAYOR  69 

Croton  water,  and  the  construction  of  street  sewers,  was 
much  more  onerous  than  at  this  time.  Oil  lamps  required 
trimming  and  filling;  candlesticks,  the  fronts  of  grate- 
fenders,  and  frequently  the  shovel  and  tongs  of  brass, 
were  to  be  cleaned;  wood  and  coal  to  be  brought  from  the 
cellar  to  all  the  fires,  and  the  absence  of  hall-stoves  ren- 
dered fires  necessary  in  all  sitting-rooms.  All  water 
required  for  the  kitchen,  or  bedrooms,  or  for  baths,  was 
drawn  from  the  nearest  street-pump,  and  all  refuse  water 
and  slops  were  carried  out  to  the  street  and  emptied  into 
the  gutter;  the  brass  ornaments  on  the  iron  railings  of 
the  stoop,  the  door-plate,  and  the  knocker,  called  for 
cleaning;  added  to  which,  the  street,  for  half  its  width  in 
front  of  each  dwelling,  was  to  be  swept  twice  a  week.  A 
prudent  person  would  hesitate  before  asking  a  third  of 
the  like  services  of  a  domestic  of  late  years.  A  full 
beard,  or  even  an  imperial  or  goatee,  was  unknown, 
except  when  a  native  of  an  Eastern  country  would  appear 
with  the  former,  and  as  such  an  exhibition  was  a  rarity, 
the  wearer  would  be  an  object  of  general  attention,  even 
to  being  followed  by  a  number  of  boys. 

The  city  at  this  time  offered  but  few  and  restricted 
attractions  to  a  foreigner,  but  from  the  convenience  con- 
sequent upon  its  restricted  area,  the  simple  wants  of  its 
citizens,  and  the  dependence  upon  the  comforts  of  home 
enlivened  by  evening  visits  and  gatherings  then  truly 
social,  it  was  a  very  desirable  place  of  residence;  more  so 
than  it  ever  can  be  again,  except  to  those  who  profit  by 
its  metropolitan  character.  In  the  absence  of  club- 
houses, theatres,  and  other  places  of  amusement,  and  of 
late  dinners,  the  houses  of  Xew  York  were  more  strictly 
homes  than  at  present.  Evening  visiting  was  general, 
and  in  the  winter  season  quilting  parties  and  entertain- 
ments with  hickory  nuts,  apples,  new  cider,  and  dough- 
nuts, were  the  custom,  occasionally  varied  by  whiskey- 
punch — not    that    of    the    present    day,    sweetened    with 


7° 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


a  questionable  sugar,  and  with  a  slice  of  lemon-peel, 
but  both  sweetened  and  soured  with  currant  or  guava 
jelly.      Cards    were    much  used;    and    the    elders   played 

whist,  while  the  younger 
part  of  the  company  in- 
dulged in  round  games. 
In  evening  gatherings  con- 
fined to  the  young,  dough- 


SUGAR   HOUSE,   LIBERTY  STREET 


nuts,  crullers,  apples, 
hickory  nuts,  and  cider 
were  also  served,  and  the 
boiling  and  pulling  of 
molasses  candy  were  ac- 
cepted elements  of  fun  and 
frolic.  The  family  tables  were  very  simply  supplied,  and 
the  hours  of  meals  were  regular;  breakfast  at  eight, 
dinner,  which  very  generally  consisted  of  but  one  course, 
at  from  two  to  three,  and  supper  at  from  six  to  seven 
o'clock.  On  the  first  or  parlor  floors  of  the  houses  were 
two  pantries,  in  which  the  table  china,  glasses,  and  com- 
pany tea-set  were  placed,  together  with  the  fruit  preserves, 
which  had  been  made  by  the  mistress  in  person  at  the 
kitchen  fire.  There  were  then  no  canned  fruits,  etc., 
and  so  imperative  was  the  duty  upon  all  provident 
housekeepers  to  make  these  preserves  for  the  coming 
season  and  year  that  such  of  the  few  as  were  visiting  in 
the  country  were  accustomed  to  hurry  to  the  city  early 
in  September  to  provide  them,  as  well  as  the  required 
sausages  and  head-cheese.  In  all  dining-rooms  there 
was  a  sideboard,  a  large  piece  of  furniture  in  which  were 
held  the  knives,  forks,  spoons,  etc.,  of  the  table;  it  also 
was  the  repository  of  liquors  of  various  kinds,  and  at  all 
evening  visits,  guests,  without  exception,  were  invited 
to  partake  of  a  friendly  or  a  parting  glass,  usually  of 
brandy. 

It  was  not  considered  at  all  necessary  that  the  counters 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,   MAYOR  7  I 

of  banks  and  bankers  should  be  shut  in  by  wire  nets  or 
iron  gratings,  since  sneak-thieves  and  the  like  were 
seldom  heard  of.  Clerks  never  ventured  to  wear  their 
hats  within  the  precincts  of  their  employment,  neither  did 
they  or  other  young  men  of  the  day  fail  to  remove  them 
on  entering  an  office  or  dwelling,  heu  mutatus.  The  duties 
of  the  junior  clerk  of  that  time  were  very  different  from 
those  of  the  present  day,  both  in  character  and  extent. 
He  was  required  to  sweep  the  offices,  to  go  to  the 
Post-office,  both  for  letters  and  to  post  them  (there 
was  but  one  office;  stations  and  lamp-post  boxes  were 
unknown),  and,  in  many  employments,  he  swept  the 
sidewalk  and  the  street  to  half  its  width,  in  front  of  the 
store  in  which  he  was  employed.  Readers  of  the  present 
day  may  be  surprised  to  be  told  that  at  the  period  noted, 
and  for  many  years  after,  blotting-paper,  as  a  con- 
venience in  writing,  was  measurably  unknown.  Metallic 
sand,  writing  sand  as  it  was  termed,  was  used  for  absorb- 
ing ink,  and  a  sand-box  was  nearly  as  requisite  to  a 
writing-desk  as  a  pen  and  ink.  Copying  presses  did  not 
exist,  and  as  a  consequence  the  junior  clerk  in  a  count- 
ing house  had  not  only  to  copy  all  outgoing  letters,  but, 
in  case  of  those  sent  abroad,  he  had  to  make  duplicates 
to  be  sent  by  the  next  packet;  but  offices  were  opened 
before  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  kept  open  until 
dark;  and  on  packet  days,  until  the  correspondence  was 
finished,  however  late.  A  carpeted  office  was  a  rarity, 
while  its  furniture  was  of  a  very  plain  character.  In 
illustration  of  the  sentiments  then  entertained  regarding 
what  was  deemed  unnecessary  expense  in  offices,  and 
the  evil  effects  of  such  extravagance,  so  late  as  1826 
a  member  of  an  importing  house  in  this  city  called  at 
the  office  of  a  house  that  had  just  failed,  regarding  the 
condition  of  his  claim  against  it.  On  his  return  he 
reported  to  his  senior  partner  that  he  was  not  surprised 
at  the  failure,  as  he  found  a  large  open  coal  fire  in  their 


72  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

office,  when  it  was  so  hot  he  had  to  ask  to  have  the 
window  opened,  and  the  floor  was  earpeted;  such  extrava- 
gance as  that  could  but,  in  his  opinion,  lead  to  bank- 
ruptcy. So  great  is  the  difference  between  the  earlier 
portion  of  the  century  and  these  its  closing  days,  when 
the  highest  luxury  of  business  appointments  is  often 
vaunted  as  a  sign  of  prosperity,  and,  it  may  almost  be 
said,  appealed  to  as  a  basis  of  credit. 

There  was  a  feature  in  social  requirements  of  that  day, 
prejudices  as  some  would  say,  that  was  as  decided  as 
it  may  be  incredible  to  many  persons  of  the  present 
time,  and  it  is  one  so  wholly  opposed  to  existing  prac- 
tices that  I  would  not  endanger  the  estimate  of  my 
veracity  by  referring  to  it,  but  that  I  have  frequently 
mentioned  it  when  in  presence  of  persons  of  a  like  age 
with  mine,  and  in  every  instance  my  statement  has 
been  endorsed,  viz.  :  no  man  who  was  known  to  smoke  a 
cigar  in  the  streets  or  at  his  office  in  business  hours, 
could  have  procured  a  discount  at  any  bank  in  the  city. 
There  was  but  one  Exchange  and  that  at  the  Tontine 
Coffee  House  (see  page  48);  the  hour  of  meeting  was  1 
p.  m.,  and  the  general  dinner-hour  of  merchants  and  pro- 
fessional men  was  from  two  to  three;  after  which  they 
returned  to  their  counting-rooms  or  offices  and  remained 
until  the  close  of  daylight. 

The  windows  of  stores  and  shops  were  closed  tightly 
at  night  by  shutters,  and  as  the  street  oil-lamps  were 
very  infrequent,  the  streets  were  so  very  indifferently 
lighted,  compared  to  the  present  illumination  by  electric- 
ity, gas-lamps,  and  the  gas-lights  in  stores  with  unob- 
structed open  plate-glass  windows,  that  they  would  not 
now  be  held  to  be  lighted  at  all;  and  besides,  during  the 
period  of  a  quarter  and  a  three-quarter  moon,  the  lamps 
were  not  lighted,  whether  the  moon  was  obscured  or  not, 
as  the  lighting  of   them   was  determined   by  the  almanac. 

At    this   time  the  apprentice   system  was  in  full    opera- 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,    MAYOR  73 

tion;  boys  desiring  to  acquire  a  trade  were  apprenticed 
to  the  employer  until  they  were  twenty-one  years  of  age, 
and  in  most  cases,  as  of  old,  they  resided  in  the  house 
of  the  employer  and  consequently  were  subjected  to  his 
discipline,  not  only  in  deportment  but  as  to  hours  of 
retiring  and  other  habits  of  life.  Workmen,  that  is,  all 
artisans  and  laborers,  whether  men  or  apprentices,  were 
employed  and  paid  according  to  the  work  performed  by 
them,  and  the  estimate  of  their  capacity.  Employers 
engaged  or  discharged  whomsoever  they  saw  fit  to,  and 
although  there  were  not  any  societies  that  assumed  to 
fix  the  wages  of  workmen,  the  rate  of  wages  for  the 
different  grades  of  work  and  classes  of  workmen  was  well 
known  and  as  well  observed  and  conceded.  Thus,  an 
idle,  irregular,  and  unmarried  man,  who  would  be  fre- 
quently absent  when  most  wanted,  was  not  paid  an  equal 
amount  with  a  steady  man  with  a  family  to  provide  for. 

A  young  gentleman  of  this  city,  son  of  a  well-known 
and  respectable  resident,  returned  from  brief  travel  in 
Europe  with  his  upper  lip  adorned  with  a  moustache. 
This  was  the  very  first  display  of  one  by  an  American  in 
this  city,  and  it  was  so  observedly  singular  and  excep- 
tional that  it  occasioned  much  comment  and  criticism. 
So  great  was  this  departure  from  the  custom  of  our 
people  that  it  was  not  until  1836,  and  then  only  by  pro- 
gressive invasion  upon  the  general  prejudice,  that  such 
exhibitions,  as  they  were  termed,  were  at  all  assented  to; 
even  so  late  as  1850,  I  have  heard  moustaches  termed 
•'monstrous"  by  persons  of  taste,  culture,  and  sober 
judgment 

The  law  of  imprisonment  for  debt  was  in  force  at  this 
time,  and  the  jail  for  this  non-criminal  class  becoming 
overcrowded,  certain  of  them  were  allowed  freedom 
within  fixed  limits  outside  of  the  jail,  or  '"jail  liberties," 
as  they  were  termed,  which  were  then  confined  to  the 
territory  below  Anthony  on  the  north  and  west  sides  and 


74 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


somewhere  about  its  adjoining  street  on  the  east  side; 

notices  of  the  limits  being  painted  on  the  corners. 

Church  service,  even,  has  under- 
gone a  marked  change.  At  9  a.  m. 
on  a  Sunday,  the  church  bells  were 
rung,  probably  for  the  purpose  of 
reminding  the  citizens  of  the  day, 
and  again  at  10  and  10.30  and  at  2 
and  7  p.  m.  for  the  afternoon  and 
evening  services.  The  choirs,  with 
the  exception  of  that  of  Grace  Church, 
where  Miss  Ellen  Gillingham  sang, 
were  composed  of  volunteers  from 
the  congregation,  led  by  a  precentor, 
or,  as  in  the  Episcopal  Churches,  by 
the  clerk.  In  the  Presbyterian  and 
other  Reformed 
Churches  the 
length      of      the 

morning  prayer  and    of   the   sermon 

was  a  terror  to  juveniles,  and  irksome 

to   all    others,    however    much    they 

feigned  to  think  otherwise;  even  the 

doxologies  to  a  psalm  partook  of  the 

general    extension.      Sunday   dinners 

in  families  very  generally  were    but 

cold    collations.      The     streets    were 

measurably  void  of  passing  vehicles, 

yet,  that  the  church  services  might  not 

be  disturbed,  it  was  ordered  that  during 

the   hours   of   Divine  worship  chains 

should   be   placed  across   the  streets 

bounding  a  church.      This  ordinance, 

however,   was    so    generally    opposed 

that,  about  the  year   1X28,  it  was   universally  disregarded. 
Men's  and  boys'  clothing  and  the  manner  of  procuring 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,    MAYOR  75 

it  was  very  different  from  the  modes  of  this  time.  The 
street  dress  of  gentlemen  consisted  of  a  blue  coat  with 
gilt  buttons,  white  or  buff  waistcoat  with  gold  buttons 
(I  retain  a  set),  knee-breeches  of  buckskin,  buckles, 
and  top  boots.  Spencers,  or  cloth  jackets,  in  cold 
weather  were  often  worn  over  coats,  and  for  outer  wear 
"box-coats"  as  they  were  termed,  that  is,  great-coats 
with  from  one  to  seven  or  more  capes  buttoned  on. 
Wellington  boots  (introduced  and  so  termed  after  the 
Battle  of  Waterloo),  cut  high  with  tassels  at  the  tops,  pre- 
vailed ;  they  were  worn  outside  of  the  pantaloons.  Shirt 
collars  were  very  full,  false*  collars  and  wristbands  or  cuffs 
were  unimagined;  black  or  white  cravats,  none  other — 
not  the  ribbons,  etc.,  of  this  day — but  stiffened  with  a 
"pudding"  of  wool,  horse-hair,  or  hog's  bristles;  to  the 
bosoms  of  the  shirts  were  attached  low  down  pleated 
frills.  Black  clothing  was  never  worn  except  for  mourn- 
ing or  by  clergymen. 

The  full  dress  of  gentlemen  was  dark  dress  coat  with 
rolling  collar  running  down  low  in  front,  short- waisted 
white  waistcoat,  frilled  bosom  to  shirt,  knee-breeches  with 
gold  buckles,  black  silk  stockings  and  pumps;  watch- 
chain  and  seal  displayed  pendent  from  a  fob  in  the 
breeches. 

The  walking  dress  of  ladies,  and  for  some  years  after, 
was  essentially  alike  to  the  illustration  here  given, 
with  the  variation  of  Leghorn  bonnets  or  flats,  as  they 
were  termed,  which  were  imported,  one  entire  with  an 
additional  crown  or  body  piece,  in  order  that  by  cutting 
off  one-half  the  rim  of  the  full  one  with  the  loose  crown- 
piece  sewed  to  it,  two  full  bonnets  were  made.  Long 
ribbons  were  tied  in  a  bow,  hanging  down  from  the  waist 
behind,  near  the  ground  ;  and  on  the  forehead  many 
wore  at  the  sides  false  hair,  fashioned  alike  to  short 
drapery  and  termed  frizettcs,  and  all  wore  high  and  broad 
tortoise-shell  combs.      Fur  muffs  were  of  the  full  dimen- 


76 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


sions  of  a  ten-gallon   keg,  and   were   frequently  used  in 
shopping  as  receptacles,  as  well  as  for  the  hands. 

Boys'  clothing  was  made  by  seamstresses  from  the  dis- 
carded garments  of  father  or  elder  brothers ;  their  mittens 
for  cold  weather  were  knitted  by  the  female  members  of 


FEIERSFIELD,   THE   RESIDENCE   OF   PETRUS  STUYVESANT.      {Seep.  40-) 


the  house,  and  as  to  military  or  like  uniforms  they  were 
confined  solely  to  the  scholars  of  two  French  schools. 

In  the  outer  adornment  of  both  men  and  women,  the 
custom  and  fashion  of  the  day  were  materially  at  variance 
with  that  of  the  present  here  illustrated  as  to  men,  and  as 
to  women  lam  regretfully  at  a  loss  for  a  description;  but  I 
know  that  one  article  of  their  underwear,  now  held  to  be  in- 
dispensable, was  not  worn  by  ladies  at  all  until  many  ye 
after.  There  were  at  this  time  but  two  "  slop"  tailors, 
as  they  were  termed,  and  they  in  Cherry  Street;  that  is, 
stores  where  one  could  purchase  an  outfit  of  garments, 
designed   for  the   convenience   of  seamen,   boatmen,  and 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,    MAYOR  7  7 

longshoremen.  The  descendant  of  one  of  these  dealers 
now  occupies  a  leading  position  in  the  clothing  business 
in  the  upper  part  of  Broadway.  Clothiers  or  "  merchant 
tailors  "were  unknown;  as  men  in  all  parts  of  the  country, 
excepting  those  who  dealt  with  the  slop  tailors  referred 
to,  obtained  .their  clothing  directly  from  tailors,  the 
absurd  prefix  of  "merchant"  was  then  wanting. 

Children's  sports  were  conducted  with  a  measure  of 
simplicity  far  removed  from  the  elaborate  provision  of 
the  "sporting  goods"  shops  which  are  now  considered 
necessary.  If  a  base-ball  was  required,  the  boy  of  1816 
founded  it  with  a  bit  of  cork,  or,  if  he  were  singularly 
fortunate,  with  some  shreds  of  india-rubber;  then  it  was 
wound  with  yarn  from  a  ravelled  stocking,  and  some 
feminine  member  of  his  family  covered  it  with  patches 
from  a  soiled  glove.  Our  skates  were  a  primitive  instru- 
ment, compared  with  those  of  a  later  period.  The  blades 
were  very  thin,  and  generally  of  iron,  involving  the  fre- 
quent filing  of  the  gutters  to  keep  them  sufficiently  sharp 
forsafety;  there  were  heel  and  toe  straps,  without  screws 
for  the  heel  of  the  shoe;  and  as  a  result,  we  had  to  draw 
all  the  straps  so  tight,  to  maintain  the  skates  in  position, 
that  the  necessary  circulation  of  the  blood  in  our  feet 
was  arrested,  and  we  were  frequently  tortured  with  pain 
and  cold.  The  modern  effective  mechanical  appliances 
by  which  they  are  now  fastened  with  a  single  motion 
were  not  introduced  until  very  many  years  later.  For 
a  base-ball  bat,  if  anything  better  than  a  casual  flat  or 
round  stick  was  required,  negotiation  had  to  be  entered 
into  with  some  wood-turner  to  induce  him  to  lay  aside  his 
regular  work  to  produce  one.  Then,  if  the  boy  could 
manage  to  be  present  at  the  time  of  the  important  opera- 
tion, he  witnessed  it  with  absorbed  interest  and  bore 
away  with  him  the  new  creation  with  gratifying  feelings  of 
pride  and  possession.  Yet  we  did  play  ball,  skate,  etc., 
and  enjoyed  ourselves;  although  in  the  absence  of  stages 


78  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

or  any  means  of  public  conveyance,  we  walked  from  below 
Canal  Street,  the  then  limit  of  the  city,  to  Stuyvesant's 
meadow,  the  Sunfish  pond,  or  Cedar  Creek,  and  were 
satisfied. 

Christmas  was  very  slightly  observed  as  a  general 
holiday  at  the  time  of  which  I  write,  and  Christmas 
shopping  and  Christmas  presents,  except  those  of  "  Santa 
Claus  "  for  children,  scarcely  existed.  New  Year's  Day 
was  the  popular  winter  holiday,  the  very  old  custom  of 
paying  New  Year's  visits  being  universal,  as  indeed  it 
continued  to  be  until  perhaps  twenty  years  ago  (1874). 
There  is  no  old  New  Yorker  who  does  not  regret  the 
abandonment  of  this  time-honored  custom,  however  much 
it  may  be  required  by  changed  conditions;  especially  by 
the  extension  of  the  town  and  resulting  enlargement  of 
men's  acquaintance  and  visiting  lists. 

Notable  events  in  this  year  were  the  completion  of 
Macomb's  Dam,  at  the  site  of  the  present  bridge,  which 
soon  became  a  justly  favorite  spot  for  fishing,  the 
opening  of  Eighth  and  Ninth  avenues  and  First  and 
Thirteenth  streets,  the  extension  of  Hudson  Street 
from  Laight  Street  to  Greenwich  Avenue,  and  of  Frank- 
lin Street.  In  this  year  was  organized,  under  the  presi- 
dency of  Cadwallader  D.  Colden,  the  Manumission 
Society  to  advance  the  freedom  of  slaves  at  the  South. 
On  July  5  there  was  frost  in  many  localities  of  the 
island. 

At  No.  80  William  Street  a  Frenchman  of  the  name  of 
Francis  Adonis,  who  displayed  a  sign  reading,  "Hair- 
dresser from  Paris,"  and  whose  customers  were  princi- 
pally French  refugees,  had  been  a  notorious  character, 
from  the  circumstance  that  from  the  time  of  his  advent 
here  until  the  restoration  of  a  Bourbon  in  the  person  of 
Louis  XVIII.  he,  when  in  public,  bore  his  hat  under  one 
arm,  in  pursuance  of  a  declaration  that  he  would  never 
wear  one  until  a  Bourbon  was   restored   to   the    French 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,    MAYOR 


8l 


throne.      He   claimed    to   have   been  the  hair-dresser   of 
Louis  XVI. 

Columbia  College,  instituted  1753  and  located  in  an 
area  bounded  by  Murray,  Church,  the  south  line 
of  Robinson  Street  (Park  Place)  not  then  opened 
through,   and    Chapel    (College    Place),  was    removed    in 


COLUMBIA    COLLEGE,    1851 


1857  to  corner  of  Madison  Avenue  and  Forty-ninth 
Street. 

The  students  of  the  college,  prior  to  its  removal,  alike 
to  the  students  of  other  colleges,  did  not  entertain  or 
practise  gymnastics  as  an  element  of  college  education. 
Of  those  of  Columbia  I  write  advisedly — they  were 
not  members  of  a  boat  club,  base-ball,  or  foot-ball 
team. 

On  Saturday  afternoons,  in  the  fall  of  the  year,  a  few 
students  would  meet  in  the  "  hollow  "  on  the  Battery, 
and  play  an  irregular  game  of  football,  generally  without 


02  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

teams    or    "sides,"  as  they  were  then   termed;  a   mere 
desultory  engagement. 

As  this  "  hollow  "  was  the  locale  of  base-ball,  "  mar- 
bles," etc.,  and  as  it  has  long  since  been  obliterated,  and 
in  its  existence  was  the  favorite  resort  of  schoolboys 
and  all  others  living  in  the  lower  part  of  the  city,  it  is 
worthy  of  record.  Thus:  it  was  very  nearly  the  entire 
area  bounded  by  Whitehall  and  State  Streets,  the  sea 
wall  line,  and  a  line  about  two  hundred  feet  to  the  west; 
it  was  of  an  uniform  grade,  fully  five  feet  below  that  of 
the  street,  it  was  nearly  as  uniform  in  depth,  and  as 
regular  in  its  boundary  as  a  dish. 

The  American  Museum  of  John  Scudder,  first  opened 
in  1810  at  21  Chatham  Street,  removed  in  this  year  to  the 
west  end  of  the  building  of  the  New  York  Institution,  on 
Chambers  Street. 

The  block  bounded  by  Centre,  Leonard,  Elm,  and 
Franklin  streets  was  occupied  by  the  city,  and  known  as 
the  Corporation  Yard,  where  the  fire-engine  and  ladder 
trucks  were  built  and  equipped,  and  light  work  was  done 
connected  with  repairs  of  public  buildings,  coffins  for 
paupers,  etc.  The  American  Bible  Society  was  organized 
in  May  of  this  year,  and  its  first  publication  was  issued, 
in  18 19,  from  No.  20  Slote  Lane.*  David  Bruce,  from 
Scotland  in  1793,  first  introduced  stereotyping.  Later, 
he  was  the  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  David  &  George 
Bruce. 

At  this  period  there  were  but  ten  wards  in  the  city. 
Arson  was  punishable  with  death.  Slavery  existed, 
both  slaves  and  their  "times"  were  advertised  in  daily 
papers. 

The  Rt.  Rev.  Dr.  Benjamin  Moore,  second  Bishop  of 
New  York,  died  in  February  of  this  year,  being  succeeded 
in  office  by  his  coadjutor,  John  Henry  Hobart,  who  dis- 
played distinguished  ability  in  his  administration  during 
the  next  fifteen  years. 

*  Now  non-existing. 


JACOB    RADCLTFFE,    MAYOR 


83 


NEW   YORK'   INSTITUTION   <>i<    ALMSHOUSE   AND   PART   OF  JAIL 

The  names  of  the  following  streets  were  changed 
previous  to  the  date  of  these  reminiscences,  but  were 
frequently  referred  to  under  their  original  names. 


OLD  NEW 

Crown,      .     .     Liberty  Street. 

Dock,    .     .     .     Pearl,  between  Broad  and 

Hanover  Square-. 
Duke,  .     .     .     South  William. 
Dyes,    .     .     .     Dey. 

Fair,      .     .     .      Fulton,    between     Broad- 
way and  Cliff. 
...     Spruce. 
King  George,     William,  between  Frank- 
fort and  Pearl. 
King,    .     .     .     Pine. 


OLD 

NEW 

Little  Dock, 

South,  between  Whitehall 

and  Old  Slip. 

Little  Queen. 

Cedar. 

Magazine, 

Part  of  Pearl. 

Partition. 

Fulton,    between    Broad- 

way and  North  River. 

Princess, 

Beaver,     between     Broad 

and  William. 

Queen, 

Pearl,  between  Wall  and 

Broadway. 

Robinson, 

Park  Place. 

St.  James, 

James. 

CHAPTER    IV 

JACOB    RADCLIFFE    (1817-1818),    CADWALLADER    D.    COLDEN 
(1818),    MAYORS 

1817.  In  this  year  were  opened  the  following  streets  : 
First,  Second,  Third,  Fourth,  Sixth,  Orchard,  Chrystie, 
Forsyth,  Eldridge,  Allen,  and  Ludlow,  the  five  last  named 
after  military  and  naval  heroes,  viz. :  Lieutenant-colonel 
John  Chrystie,  killed  on  the  Niagara  frontier;  Lieutenant- 
colonel  Forsyth  of  the  Rifles,  wounded  in  Canada  in  the 
same  year  ;  Lieutenant  Eldridge,  scalped  in  Canada  ; 
Lieutenant  William  H.  Allen,  wounded  in  the  action 
between  the  Argus  and  H.  B.  M.  S.  Pelican ;  Lieu- 
tenant Ludlow,  killed  in  the  engagement  between  the 
Chesapeake  and  H.  B.  M.  S.  Shannon.  Pike  Street  per- 
petuates the  name  of  General  Pike,  killed  in  the  attack 
upon  York  (Toronto),  Canada — all  in  the  same  year  of 
1813. 

Anthony  Street  (Worth),  had  been  extended  to  Orange 
(Baxter),  making  at  the  intersection  with  Cross  (Park) 
Street,  five  angular  corners  ;  these  were  designated  and 
known  as  the  "Five  Points" — a  locality  that  attained  a 
national  reputation  as  the  resort  of  the  abandoned  of 
both  sexes  and  of  all  nations. 

This  year  saw  the  beginning  of  the  North  River 
Steamboat  Co.,  hence  to  Albany.  In  evidence  of  the 
rising  commerce  of  New  York  at  this  time  it  should  be 
noted  here  that  on  March  8  twenty-five  square-rigged 
vessels,  besides  schooners  and  sloops,  proceeded  to  sea, 
and  on  the  7th  of  November  following  there  were 
thirty-six  arrivals  of  sea-going  vessels  inside  Sandy  Hook. 
In  August  a  horse-boat  was  for  the  first  time  put  on  the 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,    MAYOR 


35 


ferry  to  Hoboken.  On  November  29  the  Staten  Island 
Ferry  was  improved  by  employment  of  a  steamboat,  the 
Nautilus,  making  four  trips  a  day  ;  fare  twenty-five  cents. 
Captain  Cornelius  Vanderbilt  (afterward  the  ''Commo- 
dore "),  as  owner  and  master  of   the  rowing  and  sailing 


BROADWAY,    i3i7 


ferry-boat  Dread,  took  from  the  ship  Neptune,  stranded 
at  Sandy  Hook,  four  hundred  and  six  thousand  dollars 
in  specie.  Attached  to  the  Fire  Department  was  a  float- 
ing fire-engine,  the  machinery  of  which  some  years  after 
was  transferred  over  a  well  in  what  was  then  the  Corpora- 
tion Yard,  now  the  site  of  the  Tombs,  and  designated 
Supply  Fngine  Xo.   1. 

The  Custom   House  occupied  the  new  building  at  the 


86  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

corner  of  Wall  and  Nassau  streets  (see  page  155),  which 
was  taken  down  1834,  and  replaced  with  a  new  structure 
which  is  now  the  Subtreasury.  On  February  20  the  banks 
resumed  specie  payments.  The  New  York  Exchange 
Board  of  Brokers  in  this  year  consisted  of  twenty-eight 
members.  The  City  Directory  (Longworth's)  contained 
but  19,677  names;  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  up  to  about  the 
year  1825  this  publication  gave  in  addition  to  names  and 
residences  information,  complete  as  to  some  matters  but 
as  to  others  only  partial,  as  concerning  the  tariff,  some  city 
ordinances,  the  courts,  the  common  council,  watchmen, 
nurses,  firemen,  etc.  In  December  of  the  year  it  was 
officially  estimated  that  there  were  twenty  thousand  hogs 
running  at  large  in  the  streets  of  the  city.  The  question 
was  asked  about  this  time  why  the  rear  of  the  City  Hall 
had  been  made  of  freestone,  while  its  front  and  ends 
were  of  white  marble,  and  the  explanation  was  given  that 
at  the  time  the  Hall  was  designed  its  location  was  so  far 
up-town  that  the  authorities  of  the  day  decided  it  would 
be  useless  to  incur  the  cost  of  a  marble  rear,  when  there 
would  be  few  or  none  to  see  it;  as  a  writer  of  that  period 
declared,  it  "would  be  out  of  sight  of  all  the  world." 

In  these  days  our  civic  fathers  met  in  council  in  the 
afternoon  and  adjourned  promptly  at  six,  when  the 
Keeper  (Custodian)  of  the  City  Hall  received  them  in  the 
"tea  room,"  as  it  was  termed,  where  a  substantial 
entertainment  was  provided,  followed  by  schnapps  and 
pipes. 

The  name  of  the  triangular  plot  at  the  intersection  of 
Cherry  and  Pearl  streets,  or  St.  George's  Square,  was 
(hanged  to  Franklin  Square,  and  it  is  an  odd  coincidence 
that  in  this  same  year  James  and  John  Harper  began 
business  at  the  corner  of  Front  and  Dover  Streets;  the 
chief  significance  of  Franklin  Square  at  the  present  day 
being  the  long  continuance  there  of  the  great  publishing- 
house  of  Harper  &  Bros.,  thus   founded  in  the  year  when 


JACOB    RADCLIFFE,    MAYOR  87 

the  Square  was  named  in  honor  of  a  very  eminent 
printer. 

It  was  in  this  year  that  the  Legislature  authorized  the 
construction  of  the  Erie  Canal,  from  Albany  to  Buffalo, 
approved  by  the  Council  of  Revision;  a  distance  of  363 
miles,  with  a  width  at  surface  of  40  feet,  at  bottom  28 
feet,  and  a  depth  of  4  feet,  locks  90  feet  in  length  and  15 
feet  in  width.  The  first  shovelful  of  earth  was  raised  on 
July  4  of  this  year  at  Rome,  and  the  work  was  finished 
in  1825. 

In  Canal  Street  on  the  west  side,  near  to  Broadway, 
there  was  on  Saturday  afternoons  a  horse-market  at 
which  the  street  venders  of  fish,  oysters,  clams,  etc., 
supplied  themselves;  the  prices  varying  from  dollars  to 
cents.  It  has  been  told  that  on  one  occasion  one  of  a 
family  of  children,  who  had  been  indulged  with  a  ride  on 
one  of  her  father's  horses,  was  so  pleased  with  the  amuse- 
ment that  she  solicited  her  mother  to  aid  her  father 
with  another  shilling,  to  enable  him  to  buy  a  "bully 
one." 

At  this  date,  or  just  before,  there  was  a  notorious 
character  called  "  Potpie  "  Palmer,  who  was  said  to  have 
entered  a  kitchen  during  the  War  of  the  Revolution  and 
run  off  with  a  potpie.  He  is  here  mentioned  because  his 
name  was  a  by-word  among  the  boys  of  the  time, 
coupled  with   the   declaration, 

"  Potpie  Palmer  was  a  jolly  old  soul, 

With  a  three-cornered  hat  and  the  pie  he  stole." 

He  was  also  the  "bugbear,"  or  croque-mitaine^  held  up 
by  mothers  and  nurses  to  frighten  unruly  children  into 
submission. 

M.  Paff,  known  as  "Old  Faff,"  formerly  at  20  Wall 
Street,  now  kept  a  variety  or  bric-a-brac  store  at  221 
Broadway,  on  a  part  site  of  the  present  Astor  House. 
He  also  bought  and  sold  paintings,  and  some  marvellous 


88  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

stories  were  told  of  his  availing  himself  of  his  knowledge 
in  purchasing  old,  laid-aside  paintings,  restoring  them, 
and  selling  them  at  a  great  profit. 

In  November  the  soi-disant  Baron  von  Hoffman,  last 
from  St.  Thomas,  landed  in  New  York,  having  crossed 
the  North  River  from  Paulus  Hook  (Jersey  City)  in  a 
rowboat,  and  in  explanation  of  his  want  of  a  wardrobe, 
letters  of  introduction,  etc.,  he  alleged  that  his  trunks 
were  lost  in  transit  on  the  river. 

A  daily  paper  recited,  as  a  matter  of  interesting  infor- 
mation, that  in  Paris  there  were  street  shoeblacks,  and 
the  announcement  gave  rise  to  much  speculation  and  even 
wonderment,  for  at  this  time  the  industry  of  boot  and 
shoe  blacking  was  confined  to  persons  usually  occupying 
a  low-rent  cellar,  who  called  at  your  residence  in  the 
forenoon,  received  your  boots  and  shoes  of  the  previous 
day's  wear  and  returned  them  cleaned  in  the  afternoon, 
terms  one  dollar  per  month. 

At  this  time,  and  later,  ladies  walking  to  or  from  any 
public  place  along  a  crowded  sidewalk  were  commonly 
subject  to  the  indignity  of  having  their  dresses  maliciously 
defiled  by  tobacco  juice  ejected  upon  them  by  evil-dis- 
posed persons  from  behind.  So  frequent  were  the  per- 
petrations of  this  offence  that  the  newspapers  of  the  day 
referred  to  it,  and  ladies  were  restricted  to  the  wear  of 
dresses  that  would  be  the  least  injured  by  this  pollution. 
I  know  of  a  case  where  a  Cashmere  shawl  was  much 
injured, — it  is  yet  in  existence, — and  soon  after  an  ex- 
pensive dress  was  soiled.  As  I  have  already  remarked, 
the  custom  of  tobacco  chewing  was  very  common  at  the 
time  under  mention.  I  offer  no  apology  for  the  mention 
of  these  trivialities,  only  explaining  that  under  the  con- 
ditions of  the  period — the  small  size  of  Now  York  and 
the  dearth  of  more  significant  general  news — trilled 
became  important,  and  were  made  the  subjects  of  town- 
talk.      To  report   them,  therefore,  is  to    illustrate  the   life 


CADWALLADER    D.    COLDEX,    MAYOR 


89 


of  that  day,  and  my  concern  is  to  reveal  New  York  as 
it  actually  was  near  eighty  years  ago,  not  to  maintain 
"the  dignity  of  history."  This  explanation  is  to  be 
applied  to  all  cases  wheresoever  I  deal  with  matters  of 
small  import  in  the  course  of  this  volume. 

Before  the  introduction  of  shop  butchers,  when  a 
butcher  in  any  of  the  public  markets  became  possessed  of 
an  exceptionally  fine  beef  or  a  number  of  sheep,  he  would 


WAI/rox  HOUSE,  FRANKLIN  SQUARE,  NEAR   PECK  SLIP,  1776 


parade  them  through  the  principal  streets,  as  Broadway, 
Bowery,  Greenwich,  and  Grand  streets,  preceded  by  a 
band  of  music  and  followed  by  the  fellow-butchers  of  his 
market,  with  their  aprons  and  sleeves  on,  in  their  wagons 
(of  a  different  construction  from  that  of  a  later  time), 
the  cortege  being  arrested  before  the  house  of  the  cus- 
tomers of  the  butcher,  when  it  was  expected  of  the 
occupants  to  step  out  and  give  an  order  for  such  part  of 
the  animal  paraded  as  they  elected. 

A  large  building  on  the  East  side  of  Broadway,  between 
Seventeenth    and    Eighteenth  streets,  was   known  as  the 


90  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

Manhattan  Bank3,  and  so  designated  in  a  map  of  a  later 
day;  but  why  so  termed  I  have  forgotten.2 

The  weather  at  this  time  was  so  intensely  cold  that  the 
head  and  all  harbors  of  Long  Island  Sound  were  closed 
by  ice. 

Manufacturers,  ship  and  house  builders,  masons,  etc., 
made  their  business  calls  and  city  travel  on  horseback  to 
such  an  extent  that  on  a  Saturday  one  would  see  a  dozen 
saddled  horses  hitched  to  awnings  and  lamp-posts  in  and 
about  Wall  Street. 

1818.  All  the  public  bulkheads  and  piers  (commonly 
and  erroneously  termed  docks)  and  slips  were  rented  for 
one  year  for  §42,750.  Essex  Market,  on  Grand  between 
Essex  and  Ludlow  streets,  was  built.  Fourth  Street  and 
Sixth  Avenue,  from  Carmine  Street  to  Greenwich  Lane, 
were  opened. 

The  Chambers  Street  (later  the  Bleecker  Street),  the 
first  bank  for  savings,  was  opened  on  26th  of  March  in  a 
room  in  the  basement  of  the  New  York  Institution,  which 
was  a  building  on  the  site  of  the  present  Court  House,  and 
used  as  an  Almshouse,  Court  House,  and  in  part  by  Scol- 
der's Museum  (see  ante  p.  83),  and  in  this  its  first  year 
two  hundred  and  thirteen  thousand  dollars  were  received 
by  it.  This  bank  has  continued  always  a  monument  of 
wise  and  honest  management,  conducted  in  the  spirit  of 
its  originators,  who  at  its  beginning  declared  their  objects 
to  be  "to  cherish  meritorious  industry,  to  encourage 
frugality  and  retrenchment,  and  to  promote  the  welfare 
of  families,  the  cause  of  morality,  and  the  good  order  of 
society."  Philip  Hone  records  in  his  "  Diary,"  under 
date  of  July  12,  1841,  on  taking  office  as  president  of 
this  bank,  his  gratification  "at  having  been  elevated  by 
the  unanimous  vote  of  my  associates  to  the  honorable 
station  of  president  of  the  greatest  associated  institution 
in  the  United  States  " — greatest,  he  goes  on  to  say,  in 
influence  and    volume    of   business   transacted,  and    then 


CADWALLADER    D.    GOLDEN,    MAYOR  0  1 

adds,  "and  greatest  (I  think  I  may  from  experience  assert) 
in  the  good  which  it  has  already  done  and  all  it  may 
hereafter  (with  a  continuance  of  the  blessings  of  Al- 
mighty God)  be  the  means  of  doing."  This  is  a  vibration 
of  the  keynote  struck  by  the  founders  of  the  institution; 
they  and  their  successors  for  a  long  time  gave  their 
services  as  managers  gratuitously,  however  absorbing 
and  laborious  the  duty  might  have  been.  The  list  of 
elder  Presidents  includes,  besides  Mr.  Hone,  the  names 
of  John  Pintard,  Najah  Taylor,  Marshall  S.  Bidwell,  John 
C.  Green,  and  Robert  Lenox  Kennedy,  while  the  present 
trustees  compose  a  gathering  of  men  foremost  in  New 
York  for  business  capacity  and  integrity.  This  bank, 
until  lately  known  as  the  Bleecker  Street,  is  now  at 
Fourth  Avenue  and  Twenty-second  Street. 

The  average  of  the  passages  in  1817,  hence  to  Liver- 
pool, was  twenty-three  days,  and  from  Liverpool  to  this 
port,  forty-five  days.  In  August  a  London  'newspaper 
acknowledged  receiving  advices  from  India  by  way  of 
New  York. 

On  political  occasions  a  buck's  tail  was  worn  in  front 
of  the  hat  by  the  Republicans  (Democrats),  members  of 
the  Tammany  Society;  it  was  held  to  be  a  symbol  of 
Liberty,  and  had  been  originally  worn  in  the  Revolution 
to  distinguish  Whigs  from  Tories. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  nationality  of  our  citizens  at  this 
time,  so  few  were  the  Germans  that,  upon  occasion  of  a 
well-known  and  intelligent  citizen  of  Hackensack  being 
asked  if  the  language  he  spoke  (now  known  as  Jersey 
Dutch)  was  alike  to  that  of  the  Germans,  he  replied  he 
did  not  know,  but  that  one  of  his  neighbors  had  met  a 
German  and  spoken  to  him,  but  he  did  not  understand 
him.  So  rare  was  then  the  meeting  with  a  German  in 
New  York  ! 

In  consequence  of  the  frequent  robbing  of  the  United 
States  mail-coach,  between  this  city  and  Washington,  the 


92  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

Post-office  Department  was  compelled  to  employ  guards, 
and  offer  arms  to  the  passengers;  and  piracy  was  so  com- 
mon in  the  Caribbean  Sea  and  Gulf  of  Mexico  that  the 
Government  fitted  out  and  despatched  cruisers  for  its 
suppression. 

John  Barnes,  comedian,  and  for  many  years  a  well- 
known  and  popular  member  of  the  Park  Theatre  Com- 
pany; Miss  Leesugg,  afterward  the  wife  of  James  Hackett; 
and  James  \V.  Wallack,  all  of  England,  made  their  first 
appearance  here  in  this  year.  September,  Wallack  first 
appeared  as  Macbeth,  thus  beginning  what  was  destined 
to  be  a  long  and  brilliant  career  in  Xew  York.  He  came 
here  again  ten  years  later. 

At  the  Xew  Market  course  in  May,  American  Eclipse, 
owned  by  C.  H.  Van  Ranst,  a  horse  that  became  famous 
some  years  after  as  the  winner  of  the  great  stake  of 
twenty  thousand  dollars  (1824)  at  Union  Course,  L.  I., 
ran  a  first"  heat  of  three  miles  in  six  minutes  and  four 
seconds,  and  a  second  in  six  minutes  and  five  seconds. 

That  familiar  and  ever  to  be  remembered  house  of 
entertainment,  the  City  Hotel,  on  the  west  side  of 
Hroadway,  opened  in  1806,  occupied  the  front  from 
Thames  to  Cedar  Street.  It  was  kept  by  Chester  Jen- 
nings, assisted  by  the  celebrated  Willard,  who,  for  his 
urbanity  of  manner  and  wonderful  remembrance  of  per- 
sons, was  the  theme  of  many  a  tale.  Abram  C.  Dayton, 
in  his  interesting  "Last  Days  of  Knickerbocker  Life," 
relates  the  following  tale:  "A  gentleman,  with  nothing 
peculiar  in  person,  name,  or  position  to  fix  his  identity, 
had  been  a  transient  guest  of  the  house,  but  owing  to 
a  serious  illness  of  a  favorite  child,  his  stay  had  been 
prolonged  many  days  beyond  his  anticipations,  and  on 
the  convalescence  of  the  patient  he  had  paid  his  bill  and 
left  for  his  distant  home.  Nothing  more.  He  did  not 
even  remember  that  Willard  had  exchanged  with  him  any 
other  than  the  most  ordinary  civilities.      After  an  absence 


CADWALLADER    D.    COLDEN,    MAYOR  95 

of  more  than  five  years,  business  called  him  once  more  to 
the  city,  and,  with  carpet-bag  in  hand,  he  stood  face  to 
face  with  Willard,  awaiting  his  turn  to  put  down  his  name 
and  to  be  assigned  an  apartment.  Ere  he  had  uttered 
a   word,  or  given  the  slightest   sign  of  recognition,    the 

traveller   was  astounded   by:   'How  are   you,  Mr. ? 

Hope    your    boy   recovered  !     Glad    to    see    you  again  ! 

Show  this  gentleman  to  his  old  room,  No.  '" 

There  was  at  this  period  a  well-known  lounger  on 
Broadway  of  the  name  of  McDonald  Clarke,  who  was 
known  in  consequence  of  his  writings  and  some  eccentric 
manners  of  dress  and  expression  as  the  "mad  poet." 
An  elegy  he  wrote  upon  his  mother  indicated  talent  far 
above  mediocrity.  In  an  interview  with  him  and  an 
editor  of  a  paper,  the  conversation  turned  upon  ancestry; 
when  the  former  said,  "If  you  seek  for  ancestry  in  this 
city,  you  are  most  likely  to  stumble  over  a  lap-stone  or 
a  butcher's  stall."  He  died  on  March  5,  1842,  in  the 
Poorhouse.  In  July  the  soi-disant  Baron  von  Hoffman, 
before  referred  to,  essayed,  or  affected,  to  stab  him- 
self. The  operations  of  this  man  filled  for  more  than 
a  year  so  general  and  so  conspicuous  a  place  in  the  eyes 
of  the  public,  and  in  the  interest  and  communications 
of  society,  that  they  are  worthy  of  a  reference.  Land- 
ing upon  a  pier  in  the  city,  without  baggage  (alleged  to 
have  been  lost  in  transit  of  the  river,  as  before  men- 
tioned), he  announced  himself  as  Baron  von  Hoffman, 
and  being  accredited  and  received  as  such,  he  soon 
displayed  himself  as  a  gentleman  of  connections  and 
fortunes.  His  turnout,  a  tilbury,  with  a  horse  laden 
with  gilded  harness,  was  daily  seen  in  Broadway.  As  it 
became  indispensably  necessary  for  him  to  meet  the 
expenses  of  his  establishment,  repay  borrowed  moneys, 
and  retain  his  position,  he  paid  his  addresses  to  a  lady 
of  this  city  and  was  well  received  and  welcomed;  but, 
unfortunately  for  him,  a  friend  of  the  lady's  accidentally 


96  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

discovered  in  a  jeweller's  shop  on  Broadway  the  rejected 
corner  of  a  piece  of  parchment,  which,  appearing  to  him 
to  have  its  inner  lines  alike  to  that  of  a  seal  he  had  just 
seen  on  a  patent  of  nobility  of  the  baron's,  he  took 
possession  and  compared  it,  and  thus  closed  the  career  in 
this  country  of  one  of  the  most  pretentious  swindlers 
that  ever  appeared  here.  Much  more  in  connection 
with  this  affair  might  be  written,  but  insomuch  as  there 
are  relations  and  descendants  of  the  persons  that  figured 
in  it,  it  is  proper  to  omit  further  mention.  The  man 
had  been  a  valet  and  a  courier. 

There  were  not  in  this  year  ten  private  carriages 
proper.  Many  years  past  I  essayed  to  recapitulate  the 
number  of  citizens  who  possessed  them,  and  I  could  not 
exceed  seven,  and  to  meet  some  one  or  more  I  may  have 
missed,  I  put  the  number  as  first  above. 

James  1).  Oliver,  a  barber,  occupied  the  upper  part 
of  the  store  No.  27  Nassau  Street,  corner  of  Maiden 
Lane,  from  1818.  Many  of  his  patrons  were  the  celebri- 
ties of  the  period;  being  observing,  loquacious,  and 
caustic  in  his  remarks,  the  barber  and  his  sayings  were 
frequently  quoted. 

The  price  of  the  best  beef  in  the  market  was  at  this 
date  12^  cents  per  pound;  mutton,  8  cents;  fowls,  per 
pair,  56  cents  ;  oak  wood,  $2.25  per  cord;  walnut,  $3.50, 
and  pine,  $1.62^.  Shad,  unless  brought  from  Phila- 
delphia by  stage  and  steamboat,  were  not  in  the  market 
until  they  were  taken  in  the  Upper  Hay  and  North  River. 

At  No.  269  Broadway,  near  Warren  Street,  there  was 
the  confectionery  shop  of  Peter  Cotte,  who  occasionally 
received  a  bunch  of  bananas,  which  he  displayed  outside 
to  the  wonder  of  a  great  proportion  of  our  citizens, 
juveniles,  and  country  people.  He  procured  them  from 
some  venturesome  officers  of  a  vessel  trading  from 
Havana. 

The    Richmond  Hill    House,  built    in  1760,  was  located 


CADWALLADER    D.    COLDEN,   MAYOR 


97 


on  a  hill  of  considerable  elevation,  commanding  a  fine 
prospect,  its  site  bounded  by  Varick,  Charlton,  Mac- 
dougal,  and  Vandam  streets.  It  was  occupied  by 
General  Washington  in  1776,  and  by  Vice-president 
Adams  in  1788  :  when  its  advantages  as  a  country  resi- 
dence were  described  as  being  one  and  one-half  miles  from 
the  city.  Built  for  his  pleasure  by  Paymaster-general 
Mortier  of  the  British  Army,  it  was  the  scene  of  lavish 
hospitality  in  his  day,  as  well  as  when  it  was  in  the 
dignified  occupancy  of  John  Adams,  while  he  resided 
there.  Then,  in  1804,  it  passed  by  lease  into  Aaron 
Burr's  possession,  who  dwelt  here  while  he  also  was 
Vice-president,  and  for  a  considerable  term  besides. 
Even  after  Burr's  tenancy  the  house  maintained  its 
traditionary  fame  as  the  seat  of  elegant  private  life. 
Being  located  on  very  high  ground,  in  order  to  reduce 
it  to  the  grade  of  the  street  it  was  this  year  under- 
mined, rested  on  a  cradle  or  sliding  ways,  and  launched 


,.  '   .i/?£pc 


ItlpWfll 


RICHMOND   HILL  HOUSE.   VARICK   STREET,  BETWEEN   CHARLTON   AND 
VANDAM    STREETS 


98  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

to  the  desired  locality  and  grade.  In  1834  it  was  added 
to  and  converted  into  a  theatre  known  as  the  Richmond 
Hill,  and  subsequently  was  used  as  a  road  house.  At 
this  theatre  (Richmond  Hill),  on  the  occasion  of  a  row 
in  the  gallery,  a  coal  stove  in  full  ignition  was  hurled 
from  it  to  the  pit,  and  "Bill"  Harrington,  well-known 
from  his  defeat  of  his  opponent  in  a  ring  in  Philadelphia, 
took  an  active  part  in  protecting  parties  who  were 
present  in  the    boxes. 

Boarding-schools  for  boys  were  very  differently  oper- 
ated from  those  of  a  later  period,  and,  writing  from  ex- 
perience, I  can  report  that  school  was  always  opened 
with  the  reading  of  a  chapter  from  the  Bible.  The  range 
of  our  school-books  was  very  limited  ;  we  were  examined 
on  Fridays  as  to  our  retention  of  that  we  had  been  taught 
or  acquired  during  the  preceding  days  of  the  week,  and 
if  we  failed  twice  (two  marks)  we  lost  the  Saturday  holi- 
day. On  Sundays  we  were  not  only  compelled  to  attend 
both  morning  and  afternoon  service,  when  the  "  minister," 
preparatory  to  giving  the  text  of  his  sermon,  laid  his 
watch  in  front  of  him,  and  resolutely,  consistently,  and 
punctually  read  from  his  manuscript  one  full  hour;  and 
during  the  intervals  between  rising,  meals,  and  sermons, 
we  were  not  allowed  to  indulge  in  any  amusement,  or  to 
read  other  than  the  Bible,  and  loud  talking  and  laughing 
were  offences  not  readily  pardoned. 

We  were  allowed  two  vacations  of  one  week  each  in 
April  and  September,  to  enable  us  to  procure  clothes 
suited  to  the  coming  season,  and  on  two  of  our  National 
holidays,  Fourth  of  July  and  Thanksgiving  Day.  Christ- 
mas and  New  Year's  were  ignored;  and  we  were  neither 
drilled  or  uniformed,  but  often  striped.     In  fact, 

"  When  I  was  a  schoolboy,  aged  ten, 

Very  few  were  the  books  that  I  knew  ; 
With  my  short,  striped  trousers  and  now  and  then 
With  a  stripe  on  my  jacket,  too." 


CADWALLADER    D.    COLDEX,    MAYOR 


99 


Morning  prayer,  schoolroom,  and  the  Bible  were  the 
three  great  lights  or  guides  of  our  faith  and  duties,  which 
were  supplemented  by  three  lesser,  as  "  Lindley  Murray," 
"Daboll,"  and  a  birch  rod;  and  it  is  worthy  of  record 
that  then,  and  for  many  years  after,  our  school-books 
were  very  primitive.  Analytical  treatises  in  arithmetic, 
mechanics,  chemis- 
try, and  physics; 
familiar  and  in- 
structive readers  in 
history,  etc. ;  ety- 
mology, descriptive 
geography,  et  id 
genus  omne,  were 
wholly  unknown  to 
us.  There  were 
bounds  assigned 
out  of  which  we 
were  not  permitted 
to  pass,  and  there 
were  no  evening 
or  other  amuse- 
ments extra  muros,  yet  we  enjoyed  the  gathering  of 
fruits  and  nuts,  base-ball,  skating,  and  coasting  in  their 
seasons;  and  in  our  rambles  of  a  Saturday  holiday,  woe 
to  any  snake  we  met,  as  neither  a  bog  nor  the  interstices 
of  a  stone  wall  were  security  against  the  zealous  labors 
of  twenty  hands;  the  point  of  honor  (unless  he  was  a 
constrictor  or  venomous)  was  to  take  him  by  the  tail  and 
snap  his  head  off. 

John  Street  Church  (Methodist)  was  dedicated  in  this 
year. 

Dr.  Jacob  Rabineau  was  proprietor  and  operator  of  a 
floating  swimming-bath,  located  in  the  season  at  foot  of 
Warren  Street.  One  day  in  the  week  was  assigned  for 
the  exclusive  use  of  females. 


METHODIST   CHURCH,  JOHN  STREET.  1768 


IOO  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

James  and  John  Harper,  subsequently  Harper  &  Bros., 
in  this  year  printed  and  issued  their  first  book,  Locke's 
" Essay  Concerning  Human  Understanding." 

The  Humane  Society  provided  "apparatus  for  the 
recovery  of  drowned  persons,"  as  it  was  termed,  and 
deposited  one  at  Brooklyn  Ferry  House,  one  at  City  Dis- 
pensary, and  one  in  a  building  at  the  corner  of  Green- 
wich (No.  296)  and  Duane  streets.  The  notice  which 
was  attached  to  the  front  of  the  building  was  there  until 
within  a  few  years  (1895). 

The  commissioners  of  the  Almshouse  established  a  soup 
house  at  corner  of  Cross  Street  (which  ran  from  Cham- 
bers to  Duane  Street)  and  Tryon  Row. 

It  was  in  July  of  this  year  that  the  remains  of  General 
Richard  Montgomery,  killed  in  the  assault  on  Quebec  in 
December,  1775,  were  transferred  from  Canada  to  St. 
Paul's  chapel.  Congress,  in  1776,  had  voted  the  ceno- 
taph to  his  memory  that  is  set  in  the  east  front  of  St. 
Paul's.  Governor  Clinton  notified  Mrs.  Montgomery  of 
the  time  when  the  steamboat,  the  Richmond,  bearing  the 
general's  body,  would  pass  her  country  seat  on  the 
Hudson,  and  at  that  hour  the  constant  widow,  still  mourn- 
ing the  loss  of  "her  soldier"  after  a  lapse  of  more 
than  forty  years,  appeared  upon  the  portico  of  her 
mansion.  The  Richmond  approached  and  stopped;  the 
military  band  on  board  played  a  Dead  March;  a  salute 
was  fired,  and  the  boat  bearing  the  precious  burden 
passed  on. 


LUTHERAN   CHURCH,  CORNER   WILLIAM   AND 
FRANKFORT  STREETS 


CHAPTER   V 

1819-182O. — CADWALLADER  D.    COLDEN,    1818-1820, 
MAYOR 

1819.  Political  parties  at  this  time  were  divided  into 
Republicans  (Democrats),  Federalists,  and  Clintonians. 
At  the  spring  election  the  average  Republican  majority 
in  the  city  was  2301. 

May  31.  The  balance  in  the  City  Treasury  was  $1850.34. 
The  receipts  from  all  sources  for  the  year  preceding  were 
$682,829.51,  and  the  total  expenses,  $671,319.83;  equal 
to  $5.60  per  capita.  In  1884  the  expenses  were  $36.65, 
or  full  dy2  times  as  much. 

February  23  General  Andrew  Jackson  visited  New 
York,  and  was  presented  with  the  freedom  of  the  city. 
At  an  entertainment  given  in  honor  of  his  presence  by 
the  Fourteenth  Regiment,  he  responded  to  a  call  by  giving 
a  complimentary  toast  to  De  Witt  Clinton,  which,  as  he 
was  then  surrounded  by  political  enemies  of  Clinton,  was 
not  only,  the  cause  of  confusion  but  elicited  comment. 

In  this  year  Harman  Street  (East  Broadway)  was  ex- 
tended from  Chatham  Square  to  Grand  Street,  Avenue  D 
was  opened,  and  the  sewer  in  Canal  Street  was  finished. 

By  an  official  return  there  were,  on  April  26,  only 
twenty-two  licensed  butchers  in  the  city,  paying  a  license 
fee  of  one  dollar  each. 

May 25.  A  party  left  Tompkinsville,  S.  I.,  in  a  post 
stage,  at  3  a.  m.  ,  for  Philadelphia,  and  returned  at  8  p.  m. 
This  was  an  endeavor  to  illustrate  the  great  despatch  of 
the  route.     Fare,  eight  dollars  each  way. 

A  stage  to  Bloomingdale  from  the  lower  part  of  the 
city  was  established. 


102  REMINISCENCES    OF    AX    OCTOGENARIAN 

Jacob  Barker  and  Samuel  Hazard  applied  for  a  charter 
for  the  Exchange  Bank,  with  a  capital  of  one  million 
dollars. 

An  ocean  steamship  company,  with  Cadwallader  D. 
Colden,  John  Whettin,  and  Henry  Eckford  as  trustees, 
was  organized,  with  a  capital  of  three  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  with  power  to  increase  to  five  hundred  thousand. 
In  March  of  this  year  was  built  the  steamer  Savannah 
— of  380  tons,  old  measurement,  said  to  have  had  folding 
water-wheels,  which  were  taken  out  and  laid  on  deck 
when  not  in  use,  presumably  when  she  was  under  sail 
alone.  She  sailed  to  Savannah  and  thence  to  Liverpool, 
where  she  arrived  on  June  20,  the  first  steam  vessel  to 
cross  the  Atlantic  Ocean. 

In  July  Rose  Butler,  a  negro  wench  who  had  been 
convicted  of  arson  (inasmuch  as  she  had  maliciously 
set  fire  to  some  combustible  materials  under  a  stairway, 
which  was  readily  discovered  and  extinguished),  was  pub- 
licly hanged  in  Potter's  Field,  now  the  site  of  the  Wash- 
ington Parade  Ground.  A  leading  daily  paper  referred 
to  her  execution  in  a  paragraph  of  five  lines,  without 
noticing  any  of  the  unnecessary  and  absurd  details  that 
are  given  at  the  present  day  in  like  cases;  neither  was 
her  dying  speech  recorded,  much  less  transmitted  to 
other  countries,  as  in  the  case  of  a  recent  execution  in 
England. 

In  August  a  case  of  yellow  fever  occurred  in  the 
vicinity  of  Old  Slip,  and,  soon  after,  the  disease  became 
epidemic,  so  much  so  as  to  render  necessary  the  removal 
of  contiguous  inhabitants  and  the  closing  of  the  infected 
area  by  a  fence. 

October  22.  Thomas  Cooper,  the  celebrated  trage- 
dian, appeared  here.  During  the  temporary  closing  of 
the  Park  Theatre,  the  Anthony  Street  Theatre,  newly 
fitted  and  renamed  the  Pavilion,  was  reopened.  At  this 
house  William  Leggett  appeared,  in  July,  for  the  first  time 


CADWALLADER    D.    COLDEX,    MAYOR  103 

on  the  stage.  His  success  warranted  but  two  or  three 
appearances,  yet  at  the  Bowery  Theatre,  in  1826,  he 
made  another  attempt,  wherein  he  failed  decisively. 
Leggett  was  an  eminent  critic  and  a  close  student  of  the 
drama,  and  had  an  eager  desire  for  theatrical  fame,  but 
he  did  not  possess  the  qualities  required  by  the  stage. 
Alike  to  a  well-known  municipal  official  who  appeared 
much  later,  he  was  deficient  in  facial  expression.  West's 
circus  was  opened  in  Broadway  between  Grand  and  How- 
ard streets,  having  a  ring  and  a  stage.  It  was  opened 
on  the  9th  of  September  with  "The  Spy."  Many  years 
after  its  closing,  the  building,  converted  to  a  horse 
market  under  the  style  of  Tattersall's,  was  one  of  the 
best-known  places  of  the  town. 

Jacob  Cram,  who  had  opened  a  distillery  in  Washington 
Street,  removed  to  the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Canal 
Street,  occupying  the  entire  front  on  Canal  Street  to 
Cortlandt  Alley.  About  the  same  time  a  company  for  fur- 
nishing warm  baths  was  established  in  Chambers  Street, 
the  first  and  then  the  only  one  in  New  York.  Bath  race- 
course on  Long  Island  was  opened,  and  its  officers  gave 
notice  that  faro,  roulette,  "  sweat-cloth,"  and  like  devices 
for  gambling  would  not  be  permitted. 

An  aeronaut  by  the  name  of  Guille  ascended  in  a  bal- 
loon from  Paulus  Hook  and,  in  accordance  with  the 
practice  of  the  day,  he  detached  the  wicker  basket  in 
which  he  was  seated  and  was  arrested  in  his  descent  by 
the  attached  parachute.  This  was  the  first  balloon  ascen- 
sion in  America. 

A  piratical  vessel  was  seen  off  Sandy  Hook. 

The  advent  of  Easter  Day,  the  notices  of  the  churches, 
florists,  etc.,  lead  me  to  reflect  upon  the  changes  in  cus- 
toms, observances,  etc.,  from  the  early  period  of  these 
reminiscences,  in  addition  to  those  previously  noted. 
Thus  :  Lent  and  its  services  were  then  very  indifferently 
observed.      The    service  on  Easter    Day  in  some  of  the 


104  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

Episcopal  and  Roman  Catholic  churches  differed  from  the 
usual  services  only  in  the  introduction  of  an  anthem  ; 
flowers  were  not  displayed  either  in  churches  or  private 
dwellings  ;  in  fact,  the  contribution  of  all  the  florists, 
possibly  two  in  number,  would  not  have  been  equal  to  the 
usual  display  in  anyone  church  at  this  time.  "Easter 
bonnets  "  and  cards  were  unknown,  and  colored  eggs  were 
limited  to  schoolboys,  who,  with  the  aid  of  the  cooks  in 
their  families,  were  enabled  to  produce  some.  For  a  few 
weeks  during  the  periods  of  Easter  and  Paas,  the  crack- 
ing of  eggs  by  boys  supplanted  marbles,  kite-flying,  and 
base-ball. 

December  21.  At  the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Cort- 
landt  Street,  a  personal  encounter  occurred  between 
James  Stoughton,  the  Spanish  Vice-consul,  and  Robert 
M.  Goodwin,  a  brother  of  Captain  Charles  G.  Ridgeley, 
U.  S.  N. ;  the  latter  having  had  his  name  changed,  to  be- 
come the  recipient  of  a  legacy  left  upon  that  considera- 
tion. Goodwin  had  been  captain  of  a  privateer  during 
the  Spanish  war,  and  Stoughton  had  had  him  arrested  and 
sent  to  Ludlow  Street  jail  on  the  charge  of  piracy.  Meet- 
ing as  above,  and  after  personal  charges  and  invectives, 
Stoughton  struck  Goodwin  and  a  struggle  ensued.  Good- 
win having  a  sword  cane,  the  blade  of  which  became 
exposed,  he  struck  Stoughton,  who  fell  and  soon  after 
expired.  Goodwin  was  tried  and  in  the  early  part  of  the 
following  year  acquitted.  In  1836  Captain  (then  Commo- 
dore) Ridgeley  gave  me  a  recital  of  the  affair,  and  of  his 
summary  action  upon  a  negro  who  waited  upon  him  at  the 
City  Hotel  in  bed,  and  offered  to  give  testimony  in  vindi- 
cation of  his  brother,  if  he  was  paid  for  it.  Public  opinion 
was  very  much  divided  upon  the  guilt  of  Goodwin. 

Joseph  Rodman  Drake  published  his  "Culprit  Fay"  in 
this  year. 

George  W.  Browne,  who  failed  as  a  grocer  in  the 
Bowery,  opened  the  Auction  Hotel  at  239  Water  Street, 


SHAKESPEARE   HOTEL,   CORNER  OF   FULTON   AND  NASSAU   STREETS 


CADWALLADER    D.    COLDEX,    MAYOR  107 

where  viands  of  all  kinds  were  well  and  cleanly  served — 
meats,  etc.,  at  one  shilling  per  plate,  puddings  and 
pies  sixpence  per  cut,  and  liquors  sixpence  per  glass. 
He  was  the  pioneer  in  this  class  of  eating-houses.  In 
the  course  of  years  he  realized  a  sum  that  enabled  him 
to  pay  all  his  old  creditors,  principal  and  interest.  At 
the  southwest  corner  of  Fulton  and  Nassau  streets  there 
was  a  resort,  known  as  the  Shakespeare  Hotel,  essentially 
a  restaurant,  kept  by  a  Mr.  Thomas  Hodgkinson,  who 
had  previously  kept  a  restaurant  at  53  Nassau  Street,  and 
in  1825  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son-in-law,  James  C. 
Stoneall,  who  was  an  exceptionally  courtly  man,  an  atten- 
tive and  obliging  landlord,  and  approved  caterer  ;  so 
much  so  that  his  house  was  unquestionably  the  most 
popular   one    of   the    period. 

A  well-known  resort  for  "things  of  use  and  things  of 
sport  " — to  quote  from  his  ingenious  catalogue — was 
a  store  at  305  Broadway,  kept  by  Joseph  Bonfanti  (in 
18 1 8  at  20  Chatham  Street),  who  was  familiar  not  only  to 
all  of  that  day,  but  much  later.  He  committed  suicide 
years  afterward. 

John  Charraud,  an  emigre,  or,  more  properly,  a  refugee, 
from  the  island  of  Hayti  after  the  revolution  there, 
opened  a  dancing-school  at  47  Murray  Street;  he  subse- 
quently gave  his  "  publics  "  at  the  City  Hotel,  and  divided 
the  honor  of  the  Terpsichorean  art  with  Berrault,  pre- 
viously referred  to.  Waltzing  at  this  time  had  not  been 
introduced. 

A  well-recognized  character  of  the  day  was  a  mulatto 
who  followed  the  business  of  coat-scouring,  known  as 
"  Dandy"  Cox.  He  drove  a  rather  stylish  two-wheeled 
business  vehicle,  and  sometimes  a  Stanhope  with  a  negro 
"tiger  "  behind;  was  always  very  well  and  even  fashion- 
ably dressed,  usually  in  a  green  jockey-coat  with  brass 
buttons.  His  wife,  at  such  evening  parties  as  her  lord 
and  herself  gave  to  their  many  acquaintances,  was  in  the 


108  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

habit  of  retiring  several  times  during  the   evening  and 
reappearing  in  an  entire  change  of  dress. 

This  is  the  first  year  in  which  I  saw  maple  sugar.  It 
was  sold  in  confectioneries,  its  look  in  no  wise  inviting, 
from  the  smoke  being  permitted  to  enter  into  or  upon 
it  in  process  of  boiling  the  sap;  very  dark  in  color  and 
not  agreeable  in  taste.  It  was  some  years  afterward 
before  it  was  improved  in  manufacture,  and  many  years 
before  it  was  introduced  in  such  a  quantity  as  to  be- 
come of  general  domestic  use  in  cities  and  an  article 
of   merchandise. 

The  newspapers  were  delivered  by  carriers;  "  Extras" 
were  unknown;  and  an  occurrence  after  the  printing  of 
a  paper  which  seemed  worthy  of  especial  advice  was  put 
in  a  slip,  as  it  was  termed,  and  posted  on  a  bulletin; 
others  being  mailed  to  editors  in  neighboring  cities. 

There  were  several  gentlemen  residing  in  the  lower 
part  of  the  city  who  were  frequently  seen  walking  up 
Broadway,  Greenwich  Street,  or  the  Bowery  shouldering 
a  gun,  and  followed  by  their  dogs,  on  the  way  to  the 
suburbs  for  the  shooting  of  woodcock,  English  snipe,  and 
rabbits — as  the  Lispenard  Meadows,  Tompkins  Square, 
Broadway  from  Forty-sixth  Street  to  the  North  River; 
Fifth  Avenue  at  Thirty-second  Street,  and  Second  and 
Third  avenues  from  Ninetieth  Street  to  One  Hundred 
and  Third  Street;  and  the  low  land  from  Sixteenth  Street 
to  Twenty-third  Street  and  Sixth  to  Ninth  Avenue. 

The  census  of  the  year  gave  119,657  inhabitants,  in- 
cluding 11,764  aliens  and  250  slaves. 

Robert  R.  Livingston  and  Robert  Fulton,  who  held 
a  monopoly  of  steam  navigation  of  the  Hudson  River, 
enjoined  Robert  L.  Stevens  from  running  his  steamboat 
Phoenix  upon  it,  whereupon  he  transferred  her  under  his 
personal  direction  to  Philadelphia;  and  this  was  the  first 
coastwise  navigation  by  steam.  He  gave  me  a  recital  of 
the  passage  and  the  operation  of  the  vessel. 


CADWALLADER    D.    COLDEN,    MAYOR 


IO9 


Overcoats — termed  top-coats — were  of  drab  cloth, 
made  loose,  and  gathered  in  the  back  with  a  strap  and 
buckle.  Over  the  shoulders  were  capes,  false  or  full; 
the  former  were  one  or  two  capes  with  pleats  on  the  outer 
edge,  purposed  to  represent  capes;  the  others  were  full 
capes,  overlapping  each  other  by  about  an  inch  in  width, 


/■■ 


rihMIWf  S^_    _ 


■ 


THE  GRACIE   HOUSE,  HELL  GATE 


the  whole  fastened  under  the  collar  of  the  coat  by 
buttons,  in  order  that  such  a  heavy  incumbrance  migrit 
be  removed  at  pleasure. 

Abraham  Van  Nest  purchased  the  Warren  House  and 
ground,  occupying  an  entire  block,  bounded  by  Fourth, 
Charles,  Bleecker,  and  Perry  streets,  for  $15,000. 

1820.  The  result  of  a  census  of  the  United  States 
was  announced  as  9,625,734;    of  Boston,   43,893;    Balti- 


IIO  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

more,  62,627;  New  York,  123,706,  and  Philadelphia,  133,- 
273 — being  nearly  10,000  in  excess  of  New  York. 

In  illustration  of  the  value  of  improved  real  estate  at 
this  time,  a  house  and  lot  No.  20  Wall  Street,  between 
William  and  Broad  streets,  was  taxed  $60.20,  one  at  No. 
9  New  Street,  $7.36,  and  one  at  8  Park  Place,  $31.50. 
Ex-Mayor  Daniel  F.  Tiemann's  father  and  uncle  leased 
twenty-one  lots  on  Twenty-third  Street  near  Broadway 
at  $3.00  per  annum.  They  had  previously  leased  on 
Fifth  Avenue,  Nineteenth  and  Twentieth  streets,  sixty 
lots  at  $50.00  per  year.  In  1840  a  portion  of  the  lots 
leased  by  them,  1820,  on  Fifth  Avenue  between  Eigh- 
teenth and  Nineteenth  streets,  was  sold  for  $27,000,  and 
Arnold  &  Constable  in  1868  paid  $375,000  for  them. 

March  8  the  New  York  American,  published  and  edited 
by  Charles  King,  was  established  at  10  Broad  Street. 
The  New  York  Lead  Works  began  operations  in  Broad- 
way near  Art  Street  (Astor  Place);  Broadway  at  this 
point  was  unpaved. 

Robert  Swartwout,  Alderman,  proposed  to  enlarge  the 
Park  by  extending  it  to  Ann,  Beekman,  and  Nassau 
streets,  so  as  to  make  it  as  nearly  square  as  practicable. 

State  and  Charter  offices,  and  the  incumbents  thereof, 
were  held  in  much  higher  esteem  than  they  are  at  the 
present  time.  This  cannot  be  better  shown  than  by  the 
circumstance  that  for  the  election  of  the  year  in  the 
First  Ward  of  the  city,  such  men  as  Isaac  Pearson, 
Peter  H.  Schenck,  and  Augustus  AVynkoop,  were  ap- 
pointed inspectors,  and  Gulian  C.  Verplanck,  Samuel  B. 
Romaine,  Reuben  Munson,  Robert  R.  Hunter  and  others 
of  like  stamp  were  elected  to  the  Assembly. 

In  this  year  Henry  Eckford  built  at  his  yard  in  Brook- 
lyn, near  the  Navy  Yard,  the  first  veritable  steamer,  the 
Robert  Fulton,  as  in  contra-distinction  to  a  steamboat, 
that  is,  she  was  a  full-  or  square-rigged  ship. 

May  25.     The  Park  Theatre  was  destroyed  by  fire;  the 


CADWALLADER    D.    C0LDEN,    MAYOR  III 

origin  of  it  was  assigned  to  the  lodging  of  inflammable 
wadding  in  one  of  the  flies,  from  the  discharge  of  fire- 
arms in  a  piece  termed  "  The  Siege  of  Tripoli,"  written 
by  Mordecai  M.  Noah,  the  editor  of  the  Advocate,  the 
leading  Republican  (Democratic)  paper  of  the  day.  The 
Pavilion,  in  Anthony  Street,  was  immediately  leased  and 
opened  by  the  management  of  the  Park. 

The  service  of  the  North  River  Steamboat  line  to 
Albany  was  two  round  trips  per  week,  fare  six  dollars 
each  way. 

Peter  Cooper  opened  a  grocery  store  in  the  Bowery, 
corner  of  Stuyvesant  Street.  About  this  year  he  removed 
his  house,  later  known  as  the  Cooper  Mansion,  located  on 
the  present  site  of  the  Bible  House  on  Eighth  Street  be- 
tween Third  and  Fourth  avenues,  to  its  present  site  on 
Fourth   Avenue,  corner  of  Twenty-eighth  Street. 

Mr.  Cooper  directed  the  taking  down  of  the  structure, 
and  the  marking  of  each  essential  part,  so  that  it  might 
be  put  up  in  its  proper  place  in  the  progress  of  the  recon- 
struction. 

No  citizen  of  New  York  has  made  a  more  enduring 
impression  upon  the  city  of  his  birth  than  Mr.  Cooper. 
He  was  inherently  a  philanthropist,  and  firm  in  his  con- 
victions. In  illustration,  when  his  son,  Edward  Cooper, 
was  a  candidate  for  the  State  Senate,  I  was  waited  upon 
by  a  delegation  of  Germans  to  introduce  it  to  the  candi- 
date for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  his  views  upon  the 
proposed  change  in  the  temperance  laws.  When  we 
reached  his  residence,  he  being  absent,  Mr.  Cooper 
responded  for  him,  firmly  announcing  his  opposition  to 
any  extension  of  the  laws  whereby  the  evils  of  intemper- 
ance might  be  advanced.  He  took  an  active  part  in  the 
conduct  of  the  Public  School  Society  and  in  the  transfer 
to  the  Board  of  Education,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the 
first  Commissioners.  He  was  on  the  committee  of  the 
Board  of   Aldermen  who   introduced   the   Croton   water. 


112  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

His  foundation  of  the  Cooper  Union  will  perpetuate 
his  memory  as  the  chief  benefactor  of  the  city  during  his 
day  and  generation.  He  lived  to  see  all  his  ideas  for  the 
public  benefit  accomplished,  and  died  at  the  ripe  age  of 
ninety-two,  beloved  and  regretted  by  the  whole  people 
of  the  city  which  he  loved  so  well. 

As  lotteries,  under  certain  regulations  as  to  the  draw- 
ings, which  were  had  upon  the  esplanade  in  front  of  the 
City  Hall,  in  the  presence  of  an  alderman,  were  author- 
ized by  law,  there  were  many  offices  in  the  city,  notably 
one  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Broadway  and  Park  Place 
kept  by  Aaron  Clark,  a  much  reputed  citizen,  who  in  1837 
was  elected  Mayor.  Few  things  exhibit  more  clearly  the 
development  of  the  public  conscience  than  the  change  of 
feeling  concerning  lotteries.  Even  at  a  period  consider- 
ably later  than  the  date  now  under  consideration,  these 
enterprises  were  in  no  disfavor,  and  many  persons  yet 
engaged  in  active  life  can  remember  when  lotteries  were 
an  occupation  of  some  of  the  best  citizens  of  this  and 
neighboring  communities,  men  of  integrity  and  piety. 
Indeed,  not  long  before  our  date,  grants  by  legislatures 
of  lottery  privileges  as  a  means  of  raising  money  for 
founding  churches  were  by  no  means  infrequent.  Now, 
such  is  the  change  of  sentiment  that  the  last  lottery  has 
been  expelled  from  the  country;  even  our  easy-going 
fellow-citizens  of  Louisiana  (largely  of  Latin  origin) 
resolving  to  banish  it.  The  retrospect  of  a  long  life 
must  lead  one,  however  disposed  by  the  laws  of  human 
nature  to  be  laudator  tempoi-is  act/,  to  the  conclusion  that, 
at  least  in  some  particulars,  the  world  is  improved  since 
he  came  into  it. 

In  illustration  of  the  difference  in  the  consideration 
given  to  cold  drinks  in  1819,  and  at  the  present  time,  it 
should  be  noted  that  the  Humane  Society  issued  a  procla- 
mation to  the  citizens,  warning  them  against  the  injurious 
use  of  cold  water.      "Cold   water  "  at   that  day,  and  for 


CADWALLADER    D.    COLDEN,   MAYOR  113 

many  years  afterward,  was  that  drawn  from  a  street  pump; 
the  use  of  ice  for  domestic  purposes,  as  before  observed, 
was  unknown.  So  injurious  was  the  use  of  this  ''cold" 
(pump)  water  declared  to  be,  that  persons  indulging  in  it 
were  advised  first  to  wet  their  foreheads  and  wrists.  In 
some  schools  and  factories  the  water  was  tempered  with 
molasses,  or  slightly  with  elixir  of  vitriol. 

May  31.  The  ship  of  the  line  Ohio  was  launched  from 
the  Navy  Yard,  Brooklyn,  and  as  she  was  larger  than  any 
vessel  that  had  been  launched  in  the  United  States  up  to 
that  time,  the  attendance  of  persons  exceeded  that  at  any 
public  exhibition  that  had  ever  occurred,  and  the  day  was 
made  a  general  holiday. 

In  August  yellow  fever  was  epidemic  in  Philadelphia, 
and  the  Mayor  of  this  city,  Cadwallader  D.  Colden,  on 
the  18th  issued  a  proclamation,  forbidding  the  entrance 
into  New  York  of  any  person  who  had  been  in  the  former 
city  within  thirty  days.  This,  however,  was  moderated 
on  the  29th  inst.  to  ten  days,  and  on  the  17th  of  October 
it  was  revoked. 

In  this  month  a  boat-ferry  was  established  from  foot 
of  Spring  Street  to  Hoboken,  and  the  mail  stage  be- 
tween this  city  and  West  Farms  was  robbed  in  open  day. 

Stratford  Canning,  of  England,  visited  the  city.  He 
was  shown  its  different  institutions,  and  on  the  20th  of 
September  the  fire  department  with  its  entire  plant 
assembled  in  the  Park,  where  a  light  had  been  set  upon 
a  tripod  of  elevated  ladders,  and  at  a  signal  from  Thomas 
Franklin,  the  chief  engineer,  streams  of  water  from 
engines    were   directed    upon    it. 

The  first  religious  paper  appeared  ;  the  New  York 
Observer ;  edited  by  Sidney  E.  and  Richard  C.  Morse. 

October  18.  The  Advocate,  edited  by  Mordecai  M. 
Noah,  published  a  notice  of  a  man  with  a  hand-organ, 
accompanied  by  a  woman,  as  having  appeared  in  the 
public  streets,  and  the  question  was  asked,  Who  are  they  > 


114  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

November  20.  Edmund  Kean,  the  great  English  tra- 
gedian, arrived  here,  and  in  consequence  of  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  Park  Theatre  by  fire  in  the  May  previous,  he 
appeared  at  the  Anthony  Street  Theatre,  a  very  humble 
structure  in  that  street  (Worth),  near  Broadway.  He 
opened  in  "Richard  III."  His  last  appearance  in  New- 
York  was  in  the  same  character  at  the  Park  Theatre  in 
December,  1826,  he  having  come  to  this  country  for  the 
second  time  late  in  1825. 

December  23.  The  official  assize  of  bread  was  seventy 
ounces,  for  12^4  cents;  flour  at  $4.60  per  barrel.  The 
weight  at  the  present  day  (1894)  for  a  like  sum,  with 
flour  computed  at  a  like  price,  should  be  forty  ounces, 
whereas  it  is  but  sixteen  ounces,  or  less  than  one-half. 

About  this  period  a  Mr.  Laurent  Salles,  who  had  been  a 
glove-maker,  and  who  became  a  merchant  at  136  Water 
Street,  was  afflicted  with  such  an  insatiable  appetite  that 
he  dined  at  two  or  more  places  at  about  the  same  hour. 
On  one  occasion  Mr.  Niblo,  who  had  but  lately  taken  the 
Bank  Coffee  House,  corner  of  Pine  and  William  streets, 
and  had  but  few  boarders,  provided  for  them  in  the  early 
spring  of  the  year  a  leg  of  lamb  and  some  green  peas 
(peas  in  those  days  were  not  brought  here  either  by  rail 
or  steamer),  and  as  the  table  was  open  to  the  public,  Mr. 
Salles  walked  in,  seated  himself,  and  commenced  upon 
the  lamb  and  peas;  the  other  parties  uninterruptedly 
looking  on  in  amazement.  When  he  had  finished  all,  he 
arose  and  asked  Mr.  Niblo  what  was  the  price.  "Sev- 
enty-five cents,  sir,  but  I  never  wish  to  see  you  again." 

The  Agricultural  Society,  for  the  purpose  of  stimu- 
lating the  making  of  fine  butter,  gave  public  notice  to 
persons  in  the  habit  of  bringing  their  butter,  either  to  the 
Fly  or  Washington  Market,  that  they  would  award  three 
silver  prizes  to  those  presenting  the  best,  to  be  adjudged 
by  a  committee  of  the  Society.  This  continued  for  sev- 
eral years,  and  was  the  occasion  of  an  improvement  in  the 


CADWALLADER    D.    COLDEX,    MAYOR  115 

article.  In  connection  with  this,  Thomas  F.  Devoe,  in 
his  valuable  history  of  the  markets  and  butchers  of  the 
city,  recites  that  one  morning  a  wealthy  farmer,  who  was 
generally  known  as  a  very  close  shaver,  or,  in  other 
words,  as  fond  of  cheating  whenever  he  had  a  chance, 
brought  his  butter  done  up  in  pound  rolls.  This  was 
when  it  was  scarce  and  worth  two  and  ninepence,  and  had 
a  quick  sale,  which  no  doubt  had  induced  him  to  scant 
the  weight  in  each  roll.  Unexpectedly  the  weigh-master 
saw  his  butter  opened  for  sale  (which  the  farmer  could 
not  quickly  cover  out  of  sight),  when  he  prepared  his 
test  scale  to  weigh  it;  while  doing  so,  the  farmer  slipped 
a  guinea  out  of  his  vest-pocket,  and  while  the  weigh- 
master's  back  was  turned,  thrust  it  into  the  top  roll,  as 
he  thought,  unperceived  by  any  one.  The  roll  was  taken 
up,  and  it  weighed  full  weight,  which  satisfied  the  weigher 
without  weighing  any  other.  While  he  was  putting  up 
his  scale,  a  Quaker  gentleman,  who  had  been  standing  off 
a  little  distance  and  had  seen  the  whole  transaction, 
came  up  and  enquired  the  price  of  his  butter.  "  Three 
shillings,"  said  the  farmer.  "  Put  me  up  that  roll  in  my 
kettle,"  says  the  Quaker,  pointing  to  the  "guinea  roll." 
To  which  the  farmer  replied:  "I  have  that  roll  sold  to  a 
friend."  "No,  thee  has  not,"  responded  the  Quaker, 
"thee  can  give  thy  friend  another  roll,  if  they  are  all 
good  and  weigh  alike  " ;  and  turned  to  question  the  weigh- 
master,  who  said  to  the  Quaker:  "  He  was  entitled  to 
the  roll,  or  any  roll  he  chose  to  take,  if  they  were  priced 
to  him."  With  this  the  Quaker  took  up  the  guinea  roll 
and  placed  it  in  his  kettle,  then  laid  down  three  shillings; 
and  as  he  was  going,  he  coolly  told  the  farmer:  "Thee 
will  not  find  cheating  always  profitable." 

Macomb's  dam  (see  pp.  78-79)  was  designed,  by  the 
operation  of  automatic  flood-gates,  to  arrest  the  water 
from  the  East  River  at  full  tide  (as  it  flows  before  that 
of    the  North),  and    then,  as    it    receded,  the  closing  of 


Il6  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

these  gates  would  impound  the  water  between  the  dam 
and  Kingsbridge  above,  at  which  point  like  flood-gates 
and  a  forebay  led  the  receding  water  to  operate  a  flour 
mill  (see  illustration,  p.  49);  but  the  removal  of  the 
dam  (1833)  rendered  the  impounding  of  the  water  inop- 
erative. 

A  recital  of  the  dress  of  boys,  the  manner  of  obtaining 
it,  and  the  absence  of  their  conveniences  and  comforts  at 
this  period  compared  with  that  of  the  present  day,  may 
appear  overdrawn,  but  I  write  from  personal  and  painful 
experience,  and  aptly  add,  quceque  ipse  miserrima  vidi. 

Upon  referring  to  my  notes  of  the  dependence  of  boys 
upon  their  own  resources  for  instruments  of  sport  I  see 
that  I  have  omitted,  among  many  others,  that  their  foot- 
balls were  made  with  a  bladder  purchased  from  a  butcher 
and  covered  by  a  neighboring  shoemaker  ;  and  upon 
referring  to  this  and  to  my  preceding  record  of  the  cus- 
toms, dress,  etc.,  etc.,  at  this  period  of  time,  I  am 
reminded  of  the  following  lines  of  Pope  : 

"  In  words  and  fashions,  the  same  rule  will  hold, 
Alike  fantastic,  be  they  new  or  old  ; 
Be  not  the  first,  by  whom  the  new  are  tried, 
Or  yet  the  last  to  lay  the  old  aside." 

It  is  quite  probable  that  the  cold  bedrooms,  the  wet 
feet,  in  the  absence  of  rubber  boots  and  overshoes,  may 
have  led  to  the  survival  of  the  fittest,  and  many  may  have 
fallen  by  consumption;  yet  we  were  not  exposed  to  the 
baneful  effects  of  the  sudden  change  from  heated  rooms 
to  the  outer  air,  as  in  the  present  day. 

In  default  of  hall-stoves,  which  were  not  introduced 
until  the  use  of  anthracite  coal  became  general  (1830), 
and  of  hot-air  furnaces,  which  were  not  in  use  until  many 
years  after  (fully  as  late  as  1850),  warming-pans  to  heat 
bed-clothes,  and  foot-stoves  for  the  feet,  were  much  used 
by    elderly    persons    in    the    winter    season,  even  to    the 


CADWALLADER    13.    C0LDEX,    MAYOR  II7 

taking  of  the  stoves  to  church.  Of  these  warming-pans 
there  is  a  legend  that  a  well-known  and  enterprising 
merchant  of  an  Eastern  city  sent,  amongst  other  goods, 
in  a  shipment  to  the  West  Indies,  some  of  these  articles, 
which  were  received  by  the  planters  with  surprise  and 
amusement.  Discovering  an  use  for  them,  however, 
they  bought  them,  took  off  the  covers,  and,  as  they 
were  of  brass,  used  them  as  dippers  of  cane-juice  and 
molasses. 

He  was  not  alone  in  shipments  to  the  West  Indies,  for 
it  is  historical  that  Eastern  merchants  purchased  Balti- 
more clippers,  a  class  of  vessel  (foretopsail  schooners) 
designed  for  speed,  to  be  used  for  transporting  fruit  or 
oysters,  and  especially  for  slaves  and  like  service  involv- 
ing despatch ;  but  as  for  general  traffic,  it  was  well  said 
of  them,  their  capacity  being  disproportionate  to  their 
cost  of  maintenance,  "  they  would  make  a  rich  man  poor, 
and  a  poor  man  a  beggar."  These  same  men  fitted  these 
vessels  for  the  coast  of  Africa,  for  the  alleged  purpose  of 
procuring  "bone  and  ivory,"  but  they  were  sometimes 
captured  by  British  cruisers,  and  if  before  they  had  reached 
the  Coast,  upon  being  examined  they  were  found  to 
have  a  slave-deck  and  an  undue  quantity  of  water-casks 
and  corn-meal  on  board,  while,  if  captured  after  leaving 
the  Coast,  the  "bone  and  ivory"  were  in  the  form  of 
negro  men  and  women.  The  deaths  of  the  slaves  from 
their  confinement  in  the  foetid  air  in  the  hold  of  the 
vessel  were  so  frequent  that  the  man-eating  shark  of  the 
West  Indies,  Gulf  of  Mexico,  etc.,  is  said  to  have  followed 
from  the  Coast  in  the  wake  of  slave-ships.  "  Extremes 
meet  "  is  a  common  and  frequently  a  truthful  aphorism, 
as  illustrated  in  this  case;  for  the  descendants  of  these 
men  were  initiative  in  the  suppression  of  slavery  in  this 
country,  performing  therein  an  act  of  expiation  of  the 
"  thriftiness  "  of  their  ancestors,  and  some  redemption 
of  their  social  status. 


1 1 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


St.  Patrick's  Church  was  then  surrounded  by  primitive 
trees,  and  a  fox  was  killed  in  the  churchyard. 

In  this  year  were  founded  the  Apprentices'  Library  and 
the  Mercantile  Library.  The  latter  was  organized  at 
meetings  convened  for  the  purpose  in  November,  and 
began  its»service  of  the  public  early  in  1821. 

The  population  of  the  city  at  the  close  of  the  year  was 
123,706. 


MILL  ROCK,    HELL  GATE 


CHAPTER  VI 

I82I-I822. — CADWALLADER    D.     COLDEN,     1821;     STEPHEN 
ALLEN,     1821-1822,    MAYORS 

1821.  In  this  year  John  Randall,  Jr.,  completed  his 
maps  of  the  avenues  and  streets  of  the  city  as  approved 
by  the  Commissioners  in  1809. 

In  January  a  fire  destroyed  a  great  number  of  wooden 
buildings  occupying  the  premises  on  Fulton,  Front,  and 
South  streets,  and  Fulton  Market  was  erected  thereon, 
to  replace  the  Fly  Market  at  Maiden  Lane,  which  was 
insufficient  in  area  and  inconvenient  in  its  location. 
During  that  month  snow  was  so  deep  in  the  streets  that 
the  chief  engineer  of  the  Fire  Department  issued  an 
order  permitting  the  members  of  two  fire-engine  compa- 
nies to  operate  but  one,  in  order  that  they  should  be  better 
enabled  to  draw  one  engine  through  the  streets.  The 
cold  was  intense.  On  the  21st  of  January  the  North 
River  from  the  Battery  up  was  so  wholly  frozen  over  that 
many  thousand  persons  crossed  from  the  foot  of  Cort- 
landt  Street  to  Paulus  Hook  (Jersey  City).  On  the  25th 
foot  passengers  crossed  the  East  River  to  Brooklyn  and 
to  Governor's  Island;  on  the  26th  a  boat  was  brought  up 
from  Staten  Island  on  the  ice,  and  persons  walked  to 
Staten  Island  from  Long  Island.  Anthracite  coal  was 
first  introduced  in  furnaces  this  winter — an  appropriate 
time. 

February  12  the  Mercantile  Library  of  the  City  of 
Xew  York  opened  at  49  Liberty  Street,  being  removed, 
in    1826,    to  Cliff  Street.       In  this    year  the  Black  Ball 


120  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


FIRST   PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH,   WALL  STREET,   NEAR   BROADWAY 


Line,  hence  to  Liverpool  (see  p.  45),  added  four 
vessels  to  its  fleet.  The  ship  Sea  Fox,  hence  to  Charles- 
ton, was  capsized  off  Sandy  Hook,  and  the  crew  of  a  pass- 
ing vessel,  several  days  afterward,  visited  the  wreck  as  it 
lay  bottom  up,  and  becoming  aware  of  the  existence  of 
persons  in  the  forecastle,  they  cut  a  hole  in  the  bottom 
and   drew  out  four  seamen. 


CADWALLADER    D.    COLDEN,    MAYOR  121 

Public  feeling  on  the  lottery  question  was  made  evi- 
dent by  an  Act  of  the  Legislature  providing  that  new 
lotteries  were  not  to  be  granted  after  the  engagements 
of  those  then  in  existence  had  been  fulfilled. 

The  North  River  Bank  was  chartered,  with  the  condi- 
tion that  it  gave  Robert,  John,  and  Samuel  Swartwout 
assistance  to  develop  their  scheme,  originating  in  1819,  to 
convert  into  arable  land  the  meadows  on  the  east  side  of 
the  Hackensack  River,  north  of  Snake  Hill,  and  it  com- 
promised with  them  for  the  sum  of  fifty  thousand  dollars. 
The  Swartwouts  prosecuted  this  enterprise  with  great 
diligence  and  persistence,  employing  in  it  all  the  capital 
they  owned  or  could  borrow.  They  constructed  many 
miles  of  embankment  and  ditches,  reclaiming  about 
fifteen  hundred  acres,  but  the  enterprise  failed,  and  its 
projectors  lost  all.  Other  efforts  of  similar  character 
have  since  proved  to  be  unfruitful;  notably  an  elaborate 
attempt  made  by  Pike,  the  Cincinnati  distiller,  some- 
where in  the  sixties. 

The  large  double  house,  No.  39  Broadway,  built  in  1786 
by  General  Alexander  Macomb  and  occupied  by  Wash- 
ington as  President,  was  occupied  in  this  year  by  Mr. 
C.  Bunker  as  a  hotel  and  known  as  the  Mansion  House. 

The  Bloomingdale  Asylum,  begun  in  1818,  was  opened 
on  May  7  in  this  year.  The  Deaf  and  Dumb  Asylum, 
incorporated  181 7,  was  located  on  Madison  Avenue  and 
Fiftieth  Street,  the  present  site  of  Columbia  College 
(1895),  nrst  occupied  by  Columbia  in  1857.  It  was  the 
first  asylum  for  mutes  in  the  United  States. 

Twelve  lots  of  ground  in  Greenwich  Street,  at  the 
Albany  Basin,  foot  of  Liberty  Street,  sold  for  $47,800. 

In  consequence  of  an  issue  between  the  Grocers  and 
Auctioneers  of  the  city,  234  of  the  former  signed  an 
agreement  not  to  purchase  any  other  than  damaged  or 
perishable  goods  at  auction  for  a  period  of  six  months 
from  the  1st  of  January. 


122  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

Vauxhall  Garden  was  at  this  time  a  place  of  very  general 
resort  for  residents  of  the  upper  portion  of  the  city.  It 
occupied  a  considerable  space  between  the  Bowery  and 
Broadway,  Fourth  and  Art  streets  (Astor  Place),  sur- 
rounded by  a  board  fence,  with  the  main  entrance  at 
about  the  middle,  on  the  Bowery  (Fourth  Avenue)  side. 
The  fence  was  lined  within  with  boxes,  or  rather  stalls, 
each  containing  a  narrow  table  with  seats  for  two  per- 
sons at  each  side,  at  which  tables  light  refreshments 
were  served.  The  garden  contained  walks,  trees,  shrubs, 
flowers,  etc.,  and  in  the  centre  was  a  large  building  in 
which  theatrical  performances  were  given,  with  inter- 
ludes of  songs,  dances,  etc.  The  Astor  Library  now 
occupies  part  of  this  site.  The  beginning  of  Vauxhall 
was,  so  early  as  1799,  under  the  enterprise  of  a  French- 
man named  Delacroix,  but  I  learn  it  was  in  1807  that  it 
assumed  the  condition  of  garden  and  theatre  according 
to  the  description  here  given.  At  a  later  date  it  became 
a  favorite  place  of  public  meetings,  etc.,  and  finally  disap- 
peared about  1848  or  1849,  soon  after  the  Astor  Place  riot. 

In  May  Henry  Wallack  first  appeared  in  New  York,  at 
the  Anthony  Street  Theatre  (the  Park  being  in  ruins). 
He  was  in  high  favor  with  our  public  for  years,  as  a  most 
effective  actor  in  all-round  parts.  He  was  at  one  time 
stage  manager  of  the  National  Theatre  under  his  brother 
James  W.  His  last  appearance  was  in  the  autumn  of 
1858,  as  Fa/staff.  His  wife,  a  person  of  singular  loveli- 
ness, first  appeared  also  in  May  of  this  year  as  a  dancer, 
but  soon  adopted  the  drama,  and  remained  attached  to 
the  Park  Theatre  for  some  ten  years. 

September  1.  The  New  Park  Theatre  was  opened  ; 
the  poetical  address  on  the  occasion  was  written  by 
Charles  Sprague,  the  well-known  Boston  banker  and 
man  of  letters.  The  new  house  had  room  for  an  audi- 
ence of  twenty-four  hundred;  the  stage  measured  forty- 
five  by  seventy  feet. 


CADWALLADER    D.    C0LDEN,    MAYOR  123 

September  25  Peter  Richings  appeared  here  for  the 
first  time  on  any  stage,  as  Henry  Bertram  in  "  Guy  Man- 
nering."     He  proved  to  be  an  effective  actor. 

Junius  Brutus  Booth  arrived  in  this  country  at  Nor- 
folk, Va.,  and  made  his  first  appearance  at  Richmond. 
October  5  he  first  presented  himself  in  New  York,  as 
Richard  III.  He  returned  to  England,  but  came  here 
again  early  in  1824,  and  was  at  the  Park,  and  afterward 
at  the  Chatham  Garden  Theatre  and  at  the  New  York 
(Bowery),  where  he  became  a  great  favorite.  In  1843  he 
played  his  last  engagement  at  the  Park  ;  his  last  perform- 
ance in  New  York,  however,  was  so  late  as  the  autumn  of 
1851.      He  died  in  November,  1852. 

At  theatres  at  this  period,  and  for  some  years  after- 
ward, it  was  customary  for  some  of  the  actors  to  favor 
the  audience  with  a  song,  and  on  the  occasion  of  a  bene- 
fit to  Miss  Johnson,  who  was  a  favorite  with  the  public, 
eight  songs  and  one  duet  were  given,  together  with  a 
Scotch  and  Turkish  dance.  In  this  season  a  summer 
garden,  with  an  improvised  theatre  for  the  patronage  of 
colored  persons,  was  opened,  where  "  Richard  III.," 
"Othello,"  and  like  pieces  were  presented  by  a  colored 
company. 

Hoboken  at  this  date,  and  for  many  years  after,  cer- 
tainly as  lately  as  1840,  was  of  a  summer  day  the  favored 
resort  of  our  own  citizens  seeking  fresh  air,  green  fields, 
and  shady  walks  ;  and  when  I  reflect  upon  the  character 
of  the  company  that  visited  the  grounds  bordering  upon 
the  river,  and  the  perfect  impunity  with  which  young 
ladies  could  visit  them,  the  conviction  is  forced  upon 
me  that,  however  much  we  have  advanced  in  science, 
manufactures,  learning,  and  wealth,  the  character,  tone, 
manners,  and  morals  of  our  general  society  have  most 
signally  and  regretfully  depreciated. 

April  10  the  British  Consul  removed  the  remains  of 
Major    Andre    from   Tappan    to    England,    pursuant    to 


124  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

a  request  made  by  the  British  Government  and  the 
permission  which  of  course  was  given  by  the  authority 
of  this  country. 

In  May  William  Niblo,  proprietor  of  the  well-known 
public-house  at  45  Pine  Street  (southwest  corner  of  Pine 
and  William  streets),  which  he  opened  in  1814,  opened 
what  was  known  as  the  Mount  Vernon  residence,  about 
Seventieth  Street,  east  of  Third  Avenue,  as  a  hotel  and 
grounds,  and  termed  it  "Kensington."  It  became  a 
very  popular  resort  for  many  years. 

June  24  there  was  caught  at  the  tail  of  the  dam  at 
Fire  Place,  L.  I.  (Carman's),  by  Mr.  Samuel  Carman,  a 
trout  or  a  salmon — it  was  never  decided  which  it  was — 
that  measured  three  feet  in  length,  seventeen  inches 
around,  and  weighed  thirteen  pounds  eight  ounces. 

In  consequence  of  the  growing  frequency  of  Sunday 
excursions  in  steamboats,  the  clergy  of  the  city  entered 
upon  a  crusade  against  them.  At  a  meeting  by  them  at 
the  City  Hall,  for  the  purpose  of  expressing  the  sense 
of  the  community,  it  was  declared  there  were  fully  five 
thousand  persons  present,  and  upon  the  clergy  essaying 
an  organization,  they  were  voted  down;  General  Robert 
Bogardus  was  elected  chairman  and  William  T.  McCoun 
(late  Vice-chancellor)  secretary.  The  meeting  then 
expressed  its  disapprobation  of  the  interference  of  the 
clergy. 

The  speed  of  steamboats  of  the  day  was  very  low, 
ranging  from  six  to  nine  miles  per  hour.  The  smaller 
boats,  to  ports  on  Long  Island  Sound,  could  not  always 
stem  an  adverse  tide  in  Hell  Gate,  and,  as  illustrative  of 
the  tediousness  of  the  passage,  I  note  that  the  owners  of 
a  number  of  steamboats  furnished  two  thousand  volumes 
of  books  for  the  library  of  their  boats. 

In  August  of  this  year  Frances  ("  Fanny  ")  Wright  first 
opened  her  views  on  social  conditions;  and  about  the 
same  time  John  C.  Symmes  first  published  his  theory  of 


CADWALLADER    D.    COLDEN,    MAYOR  1 25 

the  existence  of  a  passage  at  the  North  Pole  leading  to 
the  centre  of  the  earth.  The  views  of  Symmes  were 
very  severely  and  also  jocosely  referred  to  by  all  the 
public  prints,  and  the  alleged  opening  was  termed 
Symmes's  Hole. 

September  3  a  very  severe  gale  occurred  along  the 
entire  seacoast,  which  from  its  severity  and  the  destruc- 
tion of  vessels  and  property  was  for  many  years  remem- 
bered and  referred  to  as  "the  September  gale."  The 
intensity  of  it  occurred  at  low  water,  otherwise  the 
destruction  in  this  city  would  have  been  much  greater. 
In  some  instances  small  vessels,  as  brigantines  and 
schooners,  were  left  high  and  dry  on  the  piers,  instead 
of  alongside  of  them. 

On  the  8th  there  were  some  isolated  cases  of  yellow 
fever. 

The  shot-tower  of  Mr.  Youle  at  the  foot  of  East  Fifty- 
fourth  Street  was  constructed  in  this  year.  On  the  9th 
of  October,  when  nearly  completed,  it  fell  to  the  ground, 
but  was  rebuilt. 

On  the  12th  Mrs.  Holman,  who  afterward  became  Mrs. 
Major-general  Sandford,  first  appeared  at  the  theatre. 
October  30  Mr.  Cowell,  a  comedian  from  England,  made 
his  first  appearance  at  the  Park,  and  old  Xew-Yorkers  will 
thank  me  for  reminding  them  of  the  pleasure  they  have 
enjoyed  in  witnessing  his  inimitable  performances. 

In  November  Beekman  Street  was  extended  from 
Pearl  Street  to  the  river,  and  the  pier  at  its  foot  was 
known  as  Crane  wharf,  and  on  the  20th  of  this  month 
Fulton  Market  was  opened  for  business.  In  the  same 
month  one  of  the  Brooklyn  Ferry  sail-boats  was  capsized 
by  collision  and  a  passenger  drowned. 

In  the  absence  of  railroads,  and  with  the  few  steam- 
boat routes,  the  travel  of  the  period  continued  to  be 
principally  by  stage-coaches,  and  the  accidents  involving 
life  and  limb  were  so  frequent  that  injuries  to  travellers, 


126  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

when  their  number  at  that  day  is  compared  with  that  of 
the  present,  was  far  in  excess  of  injuries  by  railroads  and 
steamboats.  In  November  the  mail  stage  hence  to 
Philadelphia  was  overturned  near  New  Brunswick,  and 
Mr.  James  W.  Wallack  received  a  comminuted  fracture 
of  one  of  his  legs.  So  severe  was  the  condition  of  it 
that  amputation  was  saved  only  by  his  positive  resistance 
to  the  operation.  It  was  necessary,  however,  to  encase 
it  in  a  tin  envelope.  Valentine  Mott,  the  eminent  sur- 
geon of  the  time,  attended  him. 

December  31.  The  iron  railing  for  the  Park  arrived 
from  England,  and  in  order  to  avoid  a  duty  on  the  manu- 
facture it  was  complete  only  in  parts.  Four  marble 
pillars  to  the  gateways  at  its  southern  terminus  were 
erected  and  surmounted  with  scroll  iron  work  supporting 
lanterns,  and  also  made  the  depository  of  coins,  etc. 
Samuel  L.  Mitchell,  M.  D.,  delivered  an  address  on  the 
occasion. 

At  this  time,  and  for  many  years  after,  there  were  but 
few  places  of  evening  amusement  for  young  men  and 
boys.  There  were  not,  as  at  a  later  period,  horse,  dog,  and 
flower  shows,  pugilistic  exhibitions,  anatomical  and  dime 
museums,  billiard  and  pool  rooms,  or  "  free-and-easies," 
but  one  theatre,  a  circus,  only  three  billiard-rooms,  and 
but  one  bowling  alley  west  of  the  Bowery,  while  even 
Scudder's  Museum  would  not  bear  repeated  attendances; 
there  was  such  a  void  of  amusements  that  young  men 
and  boys  were  glad  to  avail  themselves  even  of  an  evening 
book  auction,  and,  as  a  result,  there  were  many  of  these, 
and  they  were  well  attended.  One  in  Fulton  Street  near 
Broadway  was  continuously  in  operation  throughout  the 
year.  The  absence  of  public  libraries  induced  circulating 
libraries,  of  which  there  were  several,  where  books  could 
be  obtained  by  quarterly,  half-yearly,  and  yearly  sub- 
scriptions. A  leading  one  of  these  was  the  Minerva,  on 
Broadway,  between  Warren  and  Chambers  streets. 


ill   ■*^sHfflgK^' 


CADWALLADER    D.    COLDEN,    MAYOR  I  29 

The  Red  Star  Line,  hence  to  Liverpool  on  the  20th  of 
each  month,  was  established  by  Byrnes,  Trimble  &  Co. 

David  Dunham,  a  merchant,  had  the  steamship  Robert 
Fulton  built,  intended  to  ply  hence  to  New  Orleans. 
After  some  service  she  was  sold  to  the  Brazilian  Govern- 
ment, her  machinery  removed,  and  then  she  was  fitted 
and  equipped  as  a  second-class  frigate. 

December.  "The  Spy,"  by  James  Fenimore  Cooper, 
appeared  in  this  month.  This  was  Cooper's  second 
work,  the  first  being  a  somewhat  conventional  and  crude 
representation  of  English  society.  But  in  "The  Spy" 
Cooper  took  up  new  ground,  laying  his  scene  in  his  own 
country  and  among  the  events  of  the  Revolution.  This 
resulted  in  the  beginning  of  his  great  popular  success 
(not  yet  wholly  abated),  and  really  in  the  beginning  also 
of  fictitious  literature  in  America.  Properly  to  under- 
stand the  exceeding  interest  which  "The  Spy"  excited 
at  the  time  of  its  production,  modern  readers  must  re- 
member that  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War  was 
then  little  further  removed  than  is  now  the  beginning  of 
the  late  War  of  the  Rebellion.  Much  speculation  was 
indulged  concerning  the  original  of  the  character  of 
Harvey  Birch,  the  patriotic  spy.  Captain  H.  L.  Barnum 
wrote  a  volume  entitled,  "  The  Spy  Unmasked  "  (J.  &  J. 
Harper,  1828;  reprinted  by  the  Fishkill  Weekly  Times, 
1886),  dedicated  to  Cooper,  in  which  Birch  was  identified 
with  Enoch  Crosby,  a  resident  of  the  present  Putnam 
County,  on  the  border  of  Westchester — the  "  neutral 
ground "  of  the  Revolution.  In  consequence  of  this, 
Crosby  was  warmly  received  on  his  appearance  in  some 
public  places  in  New  York,  and  acknowledged  these 
attentions  in  a  letter  published  in  the  Journal  of  Com- 
merce of  December  27,  1827.  Crosby  died  June  26,  1835, 
in  his  eighty-sixth  year.  It  must  be  added  that  Cooper, 
in  the  preface  to  an  edition  of  "  The  Spy  "  published  in 
1849,  referred  to  "several  accounts  of  different  persons 


130  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

who  are  supposed  to  have  been  in  the  author's  mind"  as 
the  original  of  Harvey  Birch,  and  declared  that  he  never 
knew  the  identity  of  the  person  by  him  reproduced  under 
that  character,  although  some  of  the  chief  incidents  con- 
nected with  the  character  in  the  tale  were  undoubtedly 
historic. 

So  well  was  "  The  Spy  "  received  that  it  was  soon  fol- 
lowed by  others;  notably,  "The  Pioneer"  and  others 
of  the  "Leather  Stocking"  series.  When  the  "Red 
Rover"  appeared,  I  succeeded,  on  a  Saturday  evening,  in 
obtaining  a  copy  at  the  circulating  library  1  patronized, 
and  when  the  church  bells  on  the  following  morning  rang 
for  nine  o'clock,  as  they  did  at  that  time,  I  had  just 
finished  the  last  volume. 

1822.  Franklin  Market,  at  the  foot  of  William  Street 
(Old  Slip),  was  erected  and  opened. 

Hogs  were  permitted  still  to  run  at  large  in  the  streets, 
although  the  practice  was  objected  to  by  most  of  the 
citizens,  and  the  frequent  mortifying  references  thereto 
of  Boston  and  Philadelphia  editors  added  to  the  opposi- 
tion ;  yet  the  common  opinion  that  the  hogs  were  the  best 
scavengers  supported,  for  many  years  after,  the  indiffer- 
ence to  the  practice  shown  by  the  Common  Council.  In 
support  of  this  inaction  it  is  to  be  considered  that  at 
this  period  all  garbage  and  refuse  matter  from  dwellings 
was  thrown  into  the  street.  Some  years  after  (1825),  an 
ordinance  of  the  Common  Council  authorized  the  furnish- 
ing and  equipment  of  a  cart  and  operators  to  arrest  swine 
in  the  streets.  The  advent  of  the  cart  and  the  endeavor 
to  arrest  the  swine  were  attended  with  such  forcible  oppo- 
sition by  men  and  boys  that  the  ordinance  necessarily 
became  a  dead  letter,  until  the  amour  proprc  of  our  citi- 
zens, despite  the  unpopularity  of  the  cart,  was  aroused, 
the  enormity  of  the  practice  was  realized,  and  swine  were, 
removed  from  the  streets. 


STEPHEN    ALLEN,    MAYOR 


J3i 


Piracy  in  the  West  Indies  still  continued,  and  our  Navy 
was  taxed  to  fit  and  equip  a  sufficient  number  of  small 
cruisers  to  suppress  it.  In  this  service  the  late  Commo- 
dore Lawrence  Kearney,  then  a  lieutenant,  distinguished 
himself,  having  captured  17  piratical  vessels  and  220  men. 

In  February  the  merchants  of  the  city  convened  for 
the  purpose  of  asking  for  a  floating  light  off  Sandy  Hook, 


BROADWAY,   CORNER   OK  GRAND  STREET,    1822 

also  for  the  formation  of  an  association  to  construct  a 
Merchants'  Exchange. 

In  March  a  line  of  sailing  vessels  was  established  hence 
to  Charleston. 

April  22  the  packet  ship  Albion,  hence  to  Liverpool, 
was  lost  off  Tuskar  Island,  with  her  captain,  Williams, 
and  forty-four  others,  being  the  greater  part  of  her  pas- 
sengers and  crew.      As  this  was  the  first  disaster  of  the 


132  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

kind,  and  as  the  population  of  the  city  was  small,  the 
occurrence  was  a  leading  topic  of  conversation  among 
all  classes,  and  a  subject  of  natural  reference  for  some 
years  afterward.  I  add  here  that  the  packet  ship  Liver- 
pool, Captain  William  Lee,  Jr.,  hence  to  Liverpool,  was 
lost  in  the  ice  on  July  25  of  this  year,  on  her  first  voy- 
age. The  loss  of  life  occasioned  by  the  stranding  of  the 
Albion  led  many  persons  to  design  life-preservers,  the 
first  that  was  submitted  to  the  public  being  an  adaptation 
of  an  ordinary  mattress,  patented  by  a  vender  of  beds  and 
bedding,  a  Mr.  Jackson  in  Pearl  Street,  who  was  long 
and  well  known  as  "  Moccasin"  Jackson,  an  eccentric 
character.  He  it  was  who  first  took  a  trotting  horse 
to  England  from  this  part  of  the  country.  Mr.  Stack- 
pole  of  Boston  had  taken  his  horse,  "Boston  Blue,"  as 
early  as   1818. 

A  drama  based  on  Cooper's  novel  of  "  The  Spy"  was 
produced  this  year  at  the  Park,  from  the  pen  of  an  inti- 
mate acquaintance  and  a  well-known  citizen,  Mr.  Charles 
P.  Clinch.  It  was  an  excellent  production  and  met  with 
deserved  acceptance  from  the  public. 

May  10  James  Wallack  appeared  at  the  Park  Thea- 
tre as  Captain  Bertram  in  "  Fraternal  Discord,"  a  part 
that  did  not  involve  his  standing,  since  he  had  not  yet 
recovered  from  the  effects  of  the  fracture  of  his  leg.  Air. 
Richings  had  then  become  a  favorite  stock  actor  at  the 
Park  Theatre,  and  he  continued  as  such  for  many  years 
afterward.  Old  New  York  will  recur  to  him  with  pleas- 
ure. In  June  was  opened  the  Chatham  Garden,  on 
Chatham  Street,  between  Duane  and  Pearl,  running 
through  to  Augustus  Street  (City  Hall  Place).  It 
became  very  popular.  At  first  it  contained  a  saloon 
designed  only  for  concerts  and  light  dramatic  works,  but 
this  was  converted  into  a  regular  theatre  in  May  ensuing. 
In  July  the  City  Theatre,  Warren  Street,  near  Broadway, 
was    opened,    under    the    auspices  of    Mrs.     Battersby,   a 


STEPHEN  ALLEN,  MAYOR  133 

sister  of  Mrs.  Barnes.  This  house  was  closed  at  the  end 
of  August  on  account  of  the  existence  of  yellow  fever, 
but  was  reopened  in  November. 

Tammany  Hall,  then  at  the  corner  of  Park  Row  and 
Frankfort  Street  (see  p.  33),  was  advertised  by  its  propri- 
etor as  a  very  salutary  location,  being  on  high  and  open 
ground,  and  airy.  The  country  house  and  grounds  here- 
tofore mentioned  as  Richmond  Hill  now  became  known 
as  the  Richmond  Hill  Garden,  a  place  of  public  resort. 

The  State  of  Connecticut  enacted  a  law  regarding 
steamboats  of  a  foreign  state,  the  details  of  which  I  do 
not  know,  which  prevented  the  Connecticut  from  trading 
hence  to  Xew  Haven,  and  as  a  consequence  she  was  put 
on  the  route  hence  to  Newport  and  Providence  ;  the 
time  of  travel,  from  New  York  to  Boston,  twenty-five 
hours.  So  enterprising  and  so  hazardous  an  undertaking 
was  this  considered  that  a  log  of  the  boat's  passages  was 
published  in  full  in  the  papers  of  the  day.  A  line  of 
packets  hence  to  Havre  was  established  in  the  summer, 
one  to  sail  every  two  months,  agents,  Fox  &  Livingston, 
and  also  Crassous  &  Boyd. 

In  May  the  steamboat  Hoboken  was  put  upon  the  ferry 
to  Hoboken,  when  the  newspapers  heralded  her  as  a  very 
fast  boat,  announcing  that  she  would  make  the  round 
trip  every  two  hours. 

In  the  early  part  of  this  year,  at  86  Maiden  Lane,  Clark 
&  Browne  opened  an  eating-house,  which  for  many  years, 
alike  to  its  predecessor,  the  Auction  Hotel,  was  well 
known  for  the  excellence  of  its  cuisine  and  the  moderate 
price  of  the  viands.  At  that  time  the  Spanish  eighth  of 
a  dollar  (12^4  cents)  was  in  circulation  and  was  the  price 
of  a  plate  of  meat.  On  one  occasion  a  diner  offered 
Mr.  Clark  a  dime  and  two  cents,  which  he  refused,  with 
the  remark  that  the  half  cent  kept  his  horse. 

The  wooden  picket  fence  around  the  City  Hall  Park 
having  been   replaced   with  one   of  iron   imported  from 


134  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

England,  our  iron  manufactures  not  being  then  suf- 
ficiently advanced  to  compete  with  that  country,  trees 
were  set  out  within  the  enclosure,  and  two  well-meaning 
and  liberal  ladies  provided  rose-bushes,  which  were 
planted  within  the  railing,  and  resisted  frosts,  the 
ruthless  hand  of  time,  and  the  wantonness  of  boys  for 
more  than  a  year.  Boys  were  better  behaved  then  than 
now. 

A  tread-mill  was  constructed  and  operated  in  the  peni- 
tentiary by  order  of  the  Common  Council.  It  was  six 
feet  in  diameter  and  twenty-five  feet  in  length;  and  by 
a  connection  with  one  end  of  the  shaft,  its  power  was 
utilized  to  grind  corn.  The  custom  of  burying  in  Trinity 
churchyard  was  discontinued.  St.  Thomas's  Church  was 
built  at  the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Houston  Street  (see 
p.  198).  It  was  in  this  year  that  Congress  ceded  Castle 
Clinton  (Castle  Garden)  to  the  city. 

The  great  Northern  mail  was  despatched  and  received 
but  tri-weekly.  The  cost  of  transporting  merchandise 
hence  to  Pittsburgh  was  $9.50  per  hundred-weight,  the 
transit  being  wholly  by  teams. 

The  new  Constitution  of  the  State  was  adopted  in 
February  of  this  year,  whereby  there  were  several  impor- 
tant changes.  Slavery  was  abolished  after  July  4,  1827, 
though  minors  were  not  to  be  freed  until  1830;  the  right 
of  voting  was  given  to  negroes  owning  real  estate  to  the 
value  of  $250.  Imprisonment  for  debt  was  abolished 
also,  to  take  effect  in  May,  1832;  military  officers  were 
to  be  elected  instead  of  appointed  by  the  Governor;  and 
changes  in  the  election  laws  were  effected.  The  Sheriff, 
Register,  Coroner,  etc.,  were  this  year  for  the  first  time 
elected,  under  the  provisions  of  the  new  Constitution. 
The  election  of  military  officers  by  their  subordinates 
was  a  very  popular  provision  and  helped  toward  a  great 
revival  of  the  military  spirit.  It  was  not  until  1843  tnat 
State  arms  were  issued  to  the  National  Guard. 


STEPHEN  ALLEN,  MAYOR  135 

June  22.  The  Albion  was  established,  a  colonial  and 
foreign  weekly,  published  and  edited  by  Dr.  J.  S.  Bart- 
lett  at  37  William  Street. 

The  month  of  August  remains  memorable  for  an  out- 
break of  yellow  fever  and  the  extraordinary  panic  caused 
thereby,  which  depopulated  the  city.  For  more  than 
a  century  the  disease  had  been  from  time  to  time  epi- 
demic in  New  York  (as  might  have  been  expected  of 
a  town  wherein  droves  of  swine  fed  upon  garbage  in  the 
streets),  notably  in  1795,  1798,  and  frequently  through 
the  earlier  years  of  this  century,  so  that  the  inhabitants 
had  acquired  a  habit  of  summer  flitting  to  Greenwich 
Village  and  other  like  places  then  considered  rural,  dis- 
tant, and  safe  from  contagion,  though  now  and  long 
since  involved  in  the  city  proper.  The  outbreak  of 
this  year,  however,  was  of  unusual  proportions,  and 
created  unwonted  terror  among  the  citizens.  Enough 
has  been  already  written  to  preserve  in  memory  the 
scenes  and  incidents  of  that  disturbed  and  even  awful 
time,  and  I  shall  not  indulge  in  great  freedom  of  reminis- 
cence, though  I  cannot  leave  the  subject  unmentioned. 

June  17.  A  case  of  yellow  fever  appeared  in  Lumber, 
near  Rector  Street,  and  the  disease  spread  so  rapidly  that 
by  the  26th  the  occupants  of  quarters  below  Wall  Street 
were  in  headlong  flight  to  Greenwich  and  other  country 
districts.  The  public  offices,  the  banks,  insurance  offices, 
and  newspapers  all  shifted  to  what  was  then  the  upper 
part  of  Broadway  or  to  Greenwich,  which  place  became 
the  scene  of  hurried  building  operations  on  a  large 
scale.  Mr.  Devoe,  in  his  admirable  book  before  men- 
tioned, quotes  the  Rev.  Mr.  Marcellus  as  telling  him 
that  "  he  saw  corn  growing  on  the  present  corner  of 
Hammond  (West  Eleventh)  and  Fourth  streets  on  a 
Saturday  morning,  and  on  the  following  Monday  Nibloand 
Sykes  had  a  house  erected  capable  of  accommodating  three 
hundred  boarders."     Stores  of  rough  boards  were  con- 


136  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

structed  in  a  day.  What  then  was  known  as  New  York 
was  almost  wholly  deserted,  being  fenced  off  at  Wall,  then 
at  Liberty,  and  then  at  Fulton  Street.  The  ferries  from 
Brooklyn,  Jersey  City,and  Hoboken  transferred  their  land- 
ings to  Greenwich.  Three  hundred  and  eighty-eight  per- 
sons died  from  the  infection,  from  which  the  city  was  not 
free  until  the  last  of  October.  Such,  in  pre-scientific  days, 
were  some  of  the  effects  of  a  strictly  preventible  disease. 

The  Park  Theatre  Company  opened  its  autumn  season 
at  the  Broadway  Circus,  near  Grand  Street,  as  being  at 
a  safe  distance  from  the  yellow  fever  in  the  city,  and 
remained  there  until  early  in  November,  when  the  epi- 
demic had  ceased.  November  7  Charles  Mathews  the 
comedian  first  appeared  here,  at  the  Park,  with  great 
success.  His  second  engagement  on  his  return  in  1833 
was  less  fortunate.  He  appeared  for  the  last  time  in 
New  York  at  the  Park,  in  February,  1835. 

On  November  21a  match  was  made  between  the  owner 
of  the  celebrated  race-horse,  "American  Eclipse,"  owned 
by  Mr.  Van  Ranst  of  this  city,  and  "Sir  Charles,"  owned 
by  Colonel  Johnson  of  the  South,  for  twenty  thousand 
dollars,  to  be  run  at  Washington,  D.  C,  on  the  appointed 
day.  Colonel  Johnson  paid  forfeit.  So  great  was  the 
interest  in  this  race  that  it  was  arranged  that  by  a  series  of 
express  riders  the  result  was  to  be  borne  to  Paulus  Hook, 
and,  upon  its  reaching  there,  a  white  flag  was  to  be  dis- 
played in  the  event  of  the  Northern  horse  being  victori- 
ous. In  a  race  between  them  a  few  days  afterward,  "Sir 
Charles  "  was  beaten. 

"  Paisley  Place,"  between  Sixth  and  Seventh  avenues 
and  Sixteenth  and  Seventeenth  streets,  consisted  of 
a  number  of  wooden  houses,  which  were  principally 
occupied  by  Scotch  weavers,  who  operated  hand-weaving. 
This  row,  which  was  erected  during  the  yellow  fever 
excitement,  still  remains,  a  visible  relic  of  the  agitated 
period  of  the  summer  of  1822. 


STEPHEN    ALLEN,    MAYOR  137 

In  this  year  a  well-known  elderly  gentleman,  a  resident 
of  Broadway,  jilted  the  sister  of  a  man  who  was  absent  at 
the  time,  but  who,  upon  his  return,  awaited  the  offender 
in  Broadway,  corner  of  Duane  Street,  and  a  little  after 
high  noon,  when  the  street  was  well  filled  with  pedes- 
trians, gave  him  a  very  severe  cowhiding. 

The  authorship  of  the  Waverley  novels  was  at  this  time 
frequently  discussed;  the  general  opinion,  however,  was 
in  favor  of  Sir  Walter  Scott.  I  may  remind  my  readers 
that  it  was  not  until  the  Theatrical  Fund  dinner  of 
February  23,  1827,  at  Edinburgh,  that  Sir  Walter,  in 
reply  to  Lord  Meadowbank's  toast,  openly  avowed  his 
authorship  of  these  works,  and  up  to  that  time  the  sub- 
ject was  surrounded  with  such  mystery  as  very  naturally 
to  pique  public  curiosity. 

The  silt  dredged  from  the  slips  was  warped  out  in 
scows  to  an  anchor  in  the  river  opposite  to  point  of 
operation  and  there  dumped  in  a  manner  for  which  some 
one  has  since  claimed  an  invention. 

The  depth  of  the  channels  was  held  to  be  sufficient  to 
admit  of  shallowing,  it  not  being  entertained  that  the 
volume  of  the  sweepings  of  the  streets,  and  that  from  the 
excavation  of  cellars,  opening  of  streets,  etc.,  would  ever 
reach  an  excess  of  that  required  to  fill  our  river  fronts  out 
to  the  bulkhead  line,  unmindful  of  the  fact  that  the  wash 
of  the  light  material  was  borne  away  to  be  deposited  on 
the  shoals  of  our  bays,  and  thus,  by  reducing  the  area  and 
depth  of  water,  reducing  the  tidal  flow  over  the  bar  at 
Sandy  Hook. 


.''TF'''    >l>, 


OLD   STOREHOUSE   AT  TURTLE  BAY 


CHAPTER  VII 

1823-1824. — STEPHEN     ALLEN,    1823,    AND    WILLIAM     PAULD- 
ING,   1823-1824,     MAYORS 

1823.  Under  the  new  constitution  the  Mayor  was 
appointed  by  the  Common  Council,  and  Stephen  Allen 
was  thus  appointed. 

Centre  Market  was  opened  in  this  year.  The  lower 
part  of  Fly  Market,  at  foot  of  Maiden  Lane,  was  taken 
down,  from  Pearl  to  South  Street.  In  July,  the  widen- 
ing of  Maiden  Lane  was  ordered.  The  Merchants' 
Exchange  was  incorporated  by  the  Legislature.  The 
area  of  the  Battery  was  much  enlarged  by  filling  out  to  a 
rip-rap  enceinte,  which  was  surmounted  by  a  coursed  stone 
wall  and  a  balustrade.  The  Potter's  Field  (Washington 
Parade,  now  Washington  Square)  was  levelled;  the  use 
of  it  as  a  place  of  interment  being  abandoned  in  favor  of 
a  new  plot  of  ground  bought  for  the  purpose,  bounded  by 
Fortieth  and  Forty-second  Streets,  Fifth  and  Sixth  ave- 
nues— now  occupied  by  the  Reservoir  and  Bryant  Park. 
This  plot,  containing  128  building  lots,  was  purchased 
for  $8449.  In  the  matter  of  public  grounds,  the  necessi- 
ties of  the  poor  have  greatly  ministered  to  the  advantage 
of  their  more  fortunate  brethren;  Washington  Square, 
Union  Square,  Madison  Square,  and  Bryant  Park,  all 
owing  their  existence  as  pleasure-grounds  to  prior  use  as 
pauper  burial-places.  About  this  time  an  ordinance  was 
enacted  prohibiting  the  interment  of  human  bodies  below 
Grand  Street,  under  a  penalty  of  $250. 

The  New  York  Gas  Light  Co.  was  incorporated, 
Samuel  Leggett,  President,  this  being  the  first  introduc- 
tion  of  illuminating  gas  in  the  country.      The  company 


STEPHEN    ALLEN,    MAYOR  139 

was  given  the  exclusive  privilege  for  thirty  years  of  lay- 
ing gas-pipes  south  of  Grand  Street.  The  first  intro- 
duction of  the  gas  in  a  house  was  in  that  of  the  President 
at  7  Cherry  Street.     I  went  to  witness  it. 

A  line  of  packets  hence  to  London,  sailing  on  the  ist 
of  every  month,  was  organized  by  John  Griswold  and 
Fish  and  Grinnell  ;  followed  by  a  line  to  Liverpool,  sail- 
ing on  the  16th  of  every  month.  Passengers  between 
this  port  and  Europe  were  so  scarce  that  the  packet  ships 
were  fitted  only  for  a  few,  and  on  one  occasion,  within 
my  knowledge,  a  lady  desiring  to  meet  her  husband  in 
England,  applying  for  passage  in  one  of  the  old  or 
Black  Ball  line  of  Liverpool  packets,  was  refused,  as, 
she  being  the  only  woman,  her  presence  would  be  incon- 
venient to  the  male  passengers.  Persons  who  venture 
now  to  encounter  the  gales  and  seas  of  the  Northern 
Atlantic  in  steamers  of  ten  or  fifteen  thousand  tons'  bur- 
then, will  probably  be  surprised  to  learn  that  the  tonnage 
of  the  Liverpool  and  Havre  packets  did  not  reach  four 
hundred.  The  Edward  Quesnel  was  but  325,  and  the 
Queen  Mab  and  Don  Quixote  were  much  less;  I  am  of  the 
conviction  the  tonnage  was  in  both  cases  under  250. 

In  this  year  a  stage  ran  from  the  Bull's  Head,  in  the 
Bowery,  to  Manhattanville. 

Samuel  Woodworth  founded  the  Weekly  Mirror  in  1822, 
and  in  this  year  joined  George  P.  Morris  and  published 
the  New  York  Mirror  and  Ladies  Literary  Gazette  at  163 
William  Street,  removed  in  1825  to  No.  9  Nassau  Street. 
Subsequently  Woodworth  retired,  and  Nathaniel  P. 
Willis    succeeded    him. 

F.  Marquand,  at  No.  166  Broadway,  opened  the  leading 
jewelry  store  in  the  city.  There  were  reported  in  this 
year  in  the  entire  city,  eighty-three  churches,  chapels, 
etc.;  at  this  time  (1894)  the  number  given  in  the  City 
Directory  is  522.  This  is  not  a  favorable  proportion  of 
increase,  the  churches  having  increased  little  more  than 


140  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

six-fold,  for  a  population  fifteen  times  as  great.  No 
doubt,  however,  the  modern  churches  may  be  somewhat 
larger  than  those  of  that  period.  Christ  Church  (Epis- 
copal), in  Anthony  Street  near  Broadway,  was  completed 
and  consecrated  in  this  year. 

March  28  occurred  a  great  gale,  from  the  severity  of 
which  fifty-four  vessels  were  stranded  on  the  shores  of 
Staten  Island  between  the  Kills  and  South  Amboy.  On 
the  30th,  David  Dunham,  a  prominent  merchant  and  resi- 
dent of  this  city,  in  company  with  Alderman  Philip 
Brasher,  was  knocked  overboard  by  the  jibing  of  the 
boom  of  a  sloop  in  which  they  were  passengers  on  their 
way  from  Albany;  the  latter  was  rescued,  but  the  former 
was  drowned. 

April  28,  the  steamboat  James  Kent  of  the  North  River 
Steamboat  Co.,  destined  for  the  route  to  Albany,  was 
launched,  and  it  was  confidently  announced  that  she 
would  make  the  passage  hence  to  Albany  between  sunrise 
and  sunset. 

A  company  was  organized  to  recover  the  treasure  sunk 
in  the  Hussar  frigate  above  Hell  Gate,  and  so  confident 
were  its  officers  that  I  have  seen,  at  the  home  of  one  of 
the  company,  a  number  of  the  small  cotton-cloth  bags 
that  were  made  to  put  the  treasure  in. 

In  consequence  of  the  question  of  deciding  upon  some 
method  by  which  the  city  could  be  furnished  with  an 
ample  supply  of  pure  water,  the  Manhattan  Co.  was 
called  upon  to  report  its  capacity,  which  was  officially 
notified  as  amounting  to  691,200  gallons  of  water  per  day, 
involving  a  period  of  sixteen  hours'  pumping.  The 
pumping  power  was  given  as  that  of  two  engines  of  eigh- 
teen horses  each.  The  capacity  of  the  reservoir  was 
132,690  gallons,  connected  with  twenty-five  miles  of  log 
pipes. 

May  27,  the  great  challenge  horse-race,  made  the 
year  preceding,  between  Mr.  Van   Ranst's  famous  horse 


-     ,;-  -  - 


STEPHEN    ALLEN,    MAYOR  143 

"American  Eclipse"  and  one  to  be  named  at  the  post  by 
Colonel  Johnson,  occurred  on  the  Union  Course,  Long 
Island.  It  was  at  four-mile  heats,  for  twenty  thousand  dol- 
lars a  side.  Colonel  Johnson  named  "  Sir  Henry,"  and 
he  won  the  first  heat,  "  hard  held,"  at  the  termination  of 
which  the  betting  was  three  to  one  on  "Sir  Henry"  for 
the  second  heat,  and  the  well-known  and  eccentric  John 
Randolph  of  Roanoke,  Va.,  who  was  present  and  who 
had  backed  the  Southern  horse  for  a  very  considerable 
sum,  tauntingly  and  repeatedly,  in  his  peculiar  voice,  quer- 
ied, "Where's  Purdy?"  Purdy  had  ridden  "Eclipse" 
on  nearly  all,  if  not  all,  of  his  previous  races,  but  did  not 
ride  him  now.  This  was  the  first  time  "Eclipse"  had 
ever  lost  a  heat,  and  his  backers  expressed  much  dissatis- 
faction that  Purdy  had  not  ridden.  The  result  of  Ran- 
dolph's taunts  and  the  advice  of  the  friends  of  Mr.  Van 
Ranst  and  the  party  associated  with  him,  resulted  in 
Purdy's  mounting  for  the  second  heat,  and,  to  the  delight 
of  the  North  and  the  dismay  of  the  South,  he  won  it. 
Colonel  Johnson  was  confined  by  illness  in  a  house  adjoin- 
ing the  course  ;  he  was  appealed  to,  but  his  directions, 
and  putting  up  the  great  trainer,  Arthur  Taylor,  in  place 
of  the  boy  who  rode  the  first  two  heats,  were  of  no  avail, 
the  staying  power  of  "Eclipse"  was  too  much  for  his 
three-year-old  competitor,  and  he  won  also  the  third  heat 
and  race.  Time:  first  heat,  7  m.  37  s. ;  second  heat,  7  m. 
49  s. ;  third  heat,  8  m.  24  s. ;  twelve  miles  from  the  score 
in  23  m.  50  s. 

The  interest  in  this  race  had  been  extending  and 
accumulating  for  many  months,  heightened  by  the  pres- 
tige of  Colonel  Johnson, who  was  called  "  the  Napoleon  of 
the  Turf,"  and,  notwithstanding  that  travel  to  the  course, 
in  default  of  railroads,  was  restricted  to  vehicles,  horse- 
back, and  foot,  and  as  the  population  of  that  day,  com- 
pared with  that  of  the  present,  was  but  one-fifteenth,  the 
attendance  was  nearly  if   not  fully  equal  to  that  at  any  of 


144  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

the  great  racing  events  of  the  past  year.  It  was  esti- 
mated at  fifty  thousand.  The  city  was  filled  with  visitors 
from  all  parts  of  the  Union,  so  that  the  hotels  were  un- 
able to  accommodate  them. 

Horse-racing  at  this  period  was  conducted  very  differ- 
ently, both  on  the  track  and  outside  of  it,  from  that 
which  was  introduced  upon  the  advent  of  the  Jerome 
Park  Association.  There  was  but  one  race  a  day  (a  meet- 
ing being  restricted  to  four  days),  at  one,  two,  three, 
and  four  mile  heats.  The  horses  that  were  to  con- 
tend were  not  run  around  the  course  just  previous  to 
starting,  or  "warmed  up,"  as  it  is  termed,  and  brought 
up  to  the  post  immediately  after,  but  were  simply  walked 
or  cantered  for  a  short  distance,  not  a  quarter  of  a  mile, 
and  when  at  the  post  and  in  line  were  started  by  the  tap 
of  a  drum  in  the  hands  of  the  president  or  a  judge; 
starting  was  immediate,  false  starting  seldom  occurring. 
There  were  no  mutuel  or  auction  pools,  or  professional 
bookmakers.  All  bets  were  made  between  individuals, 
the  money  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  common  friend  or 
acquaintance. 

I  fix  here  a  few  particulars  of  the  wondrous  "Eclipse," 
a  chestnut  with  a  star,  and  white  near  hind  foot;  bred  by 
General  Nathaniel  Coles,  and  foaled  at  Dosoris,  Queens 
County,  L.  I.,  May  25,  1814;  sold  to  Mr.  Van  Ranst  in 
1819.  In  1820  and  1821  "Eclipse"  stood  as  a  common 
stallion,  at  $12.50  the  season.  When  put  in  training  in 
the  fall  of  182 1  there  was  much  question  of  the  policy 
of  running  him,  from  the  opinion  long  entertained  by 
sportsmen  that  service  as  a  stallion  unfits  a  horse  for 
racing;  but  the  event  proved  that,  at  least  so  far  as 
"Eclipse  "was  concerned,  the  opinion  was  unfounded. 
The  match  with  "  Sir  Henry  "  closed  his  racing  career,  as> 
in  spite  of  further  challenge  from  Colonel  Johnson,  he  was 
withdrawn  from  the  turf  and  put  to  service.  "  Eclipse" 
had  "  Duroc  "  for  sire  and  for  dam  a  u  Messenger"  mare. 


STEPHEN  ALLEN,  MAYOR  1 45 

In  his  veins  was  the  blood  of  the  celebrated  English 
"Eclipse"  and  the  Godolphin  Arabian.  Some  years 
after  this  race  (1833)  Colonel  Johnson  became  half  owner 
of  "Eclipse,"  and  employed  him  for  improvement  of 
Southern  racing  stock. 

June  14.  A  fire  broke  out  in  Xoah  Brown's  ship-yard 
on  the  East  River,  afterward  Brown  &  Bell's,  by  which 
several  frames  of  ships  on  their  stocks,  and  fire-engine 
Xo.  44,  were  destroyed.  This  fire,  from  its  extent,  was 
long  remembered  as  "  the  ship-yard  fire."  I  was  present 
at  it. 

In  this  year,  following  the  example  of  the  boys  of  the 
period,  I  became  a  warm  partisan  of  a  fire-engine,  and, 
following  the  very  natural  custom,  it  was  the  engine  that 
was  located  the  nearest  to  my  residence.  What  the  Fire 
Department,  with  47  engines  and  1200  men  was  then, 
and  for  many  years  afterward,  even  down  to  1835,  lt  W1^ 
be  difficult  for  me  to  convince  those  who  knew  it  only 
from  that  period  until  it  was  reorganized  in  1865  as  the 
paid  department  of  the  present  day.  In  illustration  of 
the  estimate  in  which  its  personnel  was  held  by  our 
citizens,  it  was  their  general  custom,  when  a  fire  occurred 
at  night,  for  such  as  dwelt  contiguous  thereto  to  invite 
the  members  of  the  company  on  duty  near  to  their  resi- 
dence to  enter  it  and  partake  of  hot  coffee  and  other 
refreshments  ;  and  no  one  instance  can  I  now  call  to 
mind  in  which  the  confidence  of  the  host  was  abused. 
In  fact,  I  have  witnessed  more  decorum  shown  on  such 
an  occasion  than  frequently  is  manifested  in  social  enter- 
tainments. In  illustration  of  this  I  give  the  following 
notice  which  appeared  in  a  daily  paper,  after  a  fire  in 
Broome  Street  :  "  The  unexceptional  deportment  of 
these  worthy  recipients  [firemen  who  had  been  invited 
to  her  home  to  partake  of  some  refreshments]  was  an 
ample  compensation  to  her  who  patiently  waited  upon 
them."    The  department,  during  the  period  above  noted, 


146  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

was  as  a  body  composed  of  well-known  solid  citizens, 
notably  a  great  proportion  of  Quakers,  and  but  that 
I  decline  to  introduce  the  names  of  private  persons, 
I  could  give  a  list  of  those  of  old  firemen  that  would 
do  honor  to  any  institution,  commercial,  financial,  or 
eleemosynary. 

In  illustration  of  the  wide  difference  of  the  customs 
and  means  of  the  men  and  machines  of  this  day,  and  that 
of  the  present,  the  engine  and  ladder-truck  houses  were 
locked,  and,  in  some  instances,  the  key  was  given  to  the 
custody  of  a  neighbor;  in  others,  each  member  had 
a  key.  In  consequence  of  the  infrequency  of  fires  it  was 
customary,  up  to  about  the  year  1830,  for  the  companies 
to  assemble  once  a  month  for  the  purpose  of  exercising 
the  engines,  to  prevent  the  valves  becoming  too  dry  and 
rigid  from  disuse  for  effective  operation.  This  meeting 
was  termed  the  "washing,"  and  delinquents  in  attend- 
ance were  fined  twenty-five  cents.  Upon  arrival  at  the 
engine-house  on  an  alarm  of  fire,  if  in  the  night,  a  light 
was  first  to  be  obtained  by  the  aid  of  a  tinder-box,  the 
signal  lantern  and  torches  lighted,  and  then  the  engine 
or  truck  was  drawn  by  the  members  and  such  private 
citizens  as  volunteered  to  aid  them  ;  and,  as  the  city  was 
not  districted,  it  was  taken  to  the  fire,  however  distant. 

As  wood  was  the  general  fuel,  varied  only  by  use  of 
bituminous  coal  in  some  parlor  grates,  chimney  fires  were 
very  frequent,  the  fine  for  which  to  a  householder  was 
five  dollars;  and  as  the  amount  collected  was  given  to 
a  fund  for  the  relief  of  the  widows  and  orphans  of  de- 
ceased firemen,  the  Fire  Department  had  registers  placed 
at  several  locations  in  the  city  where  the  occasion  of 
a  fire  could  be  noted,  and  there  was  an  official  collector 
of  the  fines. 

August  6.  A  bull-bait  occurred  at  Paulus  Hook  (Jer- 
sey City),  the  animal  being  baited  by  bull-dogs.  It  was 
the  first  exhibition   of   the  kind,    and  a   very  tame  affair 


STEPHEN    ALLEX,    MAYOR  1 47 

compared  with  one  where  ba?idilleros  and  picadores  attack, 
and  an  espado  displays  his  courage  and  skill  in  subduing 
the  animal,  and  a  matador,  if  he' is  not  dead,  gives  the  coup 
de  grace  to  the  dying  animal. 

On  the  15th  of  this  month  the  first  floating  light 
was  towed  to  its  station  off  Sandy  Hook.  September 
1  Thomas  Hilson,  a  comedian  from  London,  made 
his  first  appearance  at  the  theatre  to  which  he  became 
afterward  attached,  and  for  many  years  was  a  popular 
member  of  its  corps.  About  the  same  date  occurred  the 
first  appearance  on  this  stage  of  Henry  Placide,  who 
became  one  of  the  very  first  of  public  favorites  and 
remains,  in  reputation,  among  the  foremost  of  native 
comedians.  At  this  time  also  first  appeared  in  New  York 
the  admirable  actress  Mrs.  Duff,  sister  of  the  first  wife 
of  Thomas  Moore,  the  poet.  She  became  eminent  in  her 
profession  and  was  called  "  the  queen  of  tragedy."  She 
married  a  lawyer  of  New  Orleans  and  retired  from  the 
stage.  The  theatre  was  not  yet  so  well  attended  as 
theatres  are  now,  although  the  price  of  admission  was 
much  less  and  ticket  speculators  were  unknown.  Hence, 
it  became  necessary  for  the  manager  to  essay  an  awaken- 
ing of  the  public  by  expedients,  and  in  February  of  this 
year  it  was  announced  that  a  curtain  of  looking-glass 
was  being  constructed  which  was  to  replace  the  one  of 
canvas  ;  and  soon  after,  a  curtain  of  veritable  looking- 
glass  plates  was  constructed  and  fitted  in  place.  Prices 
of  admission,  boxes,  one  dollar;  pit  (parquet),  fifty  cents, 
and  gallery  twenty-five  cents. 

In  the  winter  of  this  year  a  party  of  gentlemen  was 
invited  one  evening  to  the  house  of  a  well-known  and 
public-spirited  citizen,  to  witness  the  burning  of  anthra- 
cite coal  in  a  parlor  grate,  and  wonderful  were  the  recitals 
of  its  success  on  the  following  day.  It  was  said  that  not 
only  it  burned  without  making  a  flame,  but  created  a 
mass  of  red-hot  coals — so  hot  that  when  a  sheet-iron  cap 


I48  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

(blower)  was  put  before  the  grate  there  was  a  great  roar, 
the  draft  was  so  strong. 

Tomatoes  were  about  this  time  first  essayed  as  edibles, 
for  they  had  been  grown  in  gardens  only  for  the  beauty  of 
their  fruit,  termed  "  Love  apples,"  or  tomatoe  figs,  univer- 
sally held  to  be  poisonous.  It  was  not  until  1826  that  I 
overcame  the  fear  of  being  poisoned  should  I  have  the 
temerity  to  eat  of  them;  and  for  a  long  period  after 
they  were  only  served  stewed,  and  not  canned  until  very 
many  years  after. 

White  handkerchiefs  were  worn  by  men  only  on  special 
occasions,  as  when  in  full  dress  ;  at  other  times  red  silk 
was  the  prevailing  material.  It  was  not  until  this  year 
that  false  collars  to  shirts  were  worn,  and  only  by  a  few. 

There  were  some  other  articles  of  men's  wear  that  are 
worthy  of  record.  Thus  :  instead  of  the  single  neck- 
cloths, stiffeners,  termed  "puddings,"  were  introduced; 
and  soon  after  an  article  termed  a  "stock,"  composed  of 
stiff,  woven  horsehair,  fully  three  inches  in  width,  buckled 
behind;  and  leather  straps  from  the  legs  of  pantaloons, 
buttoned  at  the  sides,  were  worn  under  the  boots. 

James  Murray,  from  Boston,  on  his  way  South  put  up 
at  a  sailors'  boarding-house  of  a  man  named  Johnson, 
who,  ascertaining  that  the  former  had  a  bag  containing 
several  hundred  dollars  in  specie,  murdered  him  in  his 
bed,  and  two  days  after  dragged  the  body  to  Cuyler's 
Alley,  leading  from  Water  Street  to  the  river  between 
Coenties  and  Old  slips,  and  left  it  there.  He  was  soon 
after  arrested,  and  on  December  4  was  indicted. 

A  second  line  to  Havre  was  established,  with  Boyd  & 
Hincken  agents. 

Grinnell,  Minturn  &  Co.  commenced  a  line  to  London 
with  vessels  of  four  hundred  tons,  leaving  on  the  1st  of 
each  month. 

Classical  schools  at  this  time  were  Joseph  Nelson's, 
Franklin   Street,   on   the  east  side,   near  Broadway,   one 


STEPHEN    ALLEN,   MAYOR 


149 


ST.   GEORGE'S  CHURCH,    BEEKMAX,   XEAR   CLIFF  STREET 


half  of  the  building  now  (1895)  standing;  John  Borland's 
in  Broadway,  corner  of  Dey  Street;  in  1822,  Borland  and 
Forrest,  at  45  Warren  Street,  and  John  C.  Slack,  in 
"Water  Street;  in  1823  at  223  Duane  Street. 

The  school  term,  both  in  the  country  and  city,  was 
four  quarters  of  twelve  weeks  each,  with  holidays  in  the 
former  of  two  weeks  each  in  spring  and  autumn,  to  enable 
boys  to  go  home  and  procure  changes  of  clothes  suitable 
to  the  season.     In  the  city,  in  lien  of  the  spring  and  fall 


150  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

vacations,  the  entire  month  of  August  was  given,  and  in 
both  cases  the  Fourth  of  July,  Evacuation  Day  (Novem- 
ber 25),  and  Christmas  to  New  Year's  Day  were  the  only 
additional  vacations. 

In  November  was  given  for  the  first  time,  at  the  Park 
Theatre,  John  Howard  Payne's  "Home,  Sweet  Home." 
Payne  had  appeared  on  the  New  York  stage  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1809,  when  he  was  but  sixteen  years  old,  and  a 
pupil  of  the  venerable  Dr.  Nott's  academy  at  Schenectady. 

In  this,  or  the  following  year,  "  Der  Freischiitz,"  in 
English,  was  given  at  the  Park  Theatre;  the  first  opera, 
strictly  so  termed,  that  we  had,  as  distinguished  from 
English  ballad  operas.  Up  to  this  time  our  public  knew 
only  the  English  models. 

Considerable  increase  of  musical  interest  began  to  dis- 
play itself,  and  in  this  year  both  the  New  York  Choral 
Society  and  the  New  York  Sacred  Musical  Society  were 
formed.  The  first  concerts  of  these  societies  were  given 
in  the  following  spring. 

On  an  irregular  plot,  formed  by  Chambers,  Collect, 
and  Tryon  Row,  were  located  fire-engines  8  and  25,  and 
a  hook-and-ladder  company.  On  Broadway,  opposite 
Warren  Street,  there  was  located  an  engine  and  also  a 
hose-cart  No.  1. 

1824.  January  8,  the  anniversary  of  the  battle  of 
New  Orleans,  there  was  a  great  military  ball  given  at  the 
Park  Theatre,  which  was  long  known  and  referred  to  as 
the  "  Greek  Ball,"  it  being  given  in  aid  of  the  Greek 
fund.  The  design  was  that  it  should  be  as  exclusive  an 
affair  as  was  practicable.  It  occurred,  however,  that  a 
Mr.  Oliver,  a  well-known  barber,  who  plied  his  avocation 
at  27  Nassau  Street  (before  referred  to),  became  the 
happy  possessor  of  a  ticket — how  it  was  not  known,  as  the 
member  of  the  Committee  from  whom  it  was  procured 
did  not  acknowledge  the  delivery  ;  and  when  the  fact 
was    made    public,    Oliver   was    offered   various    sums    in 


J51 

excess  of  the  cost  of  the  ticket,  but  he  resolutely  refused 
to  part  with  it.  The  papers  of  the  city  referred  to  the 
matter,  public  curiosity  became  interested,  and  on  the 
evening  of  the  ball,  every  man  who  was  set  down  from  a 
carriage  in  front  of  the  Theatre,  and  was  not  recognized 
by  some  one  or  more  present,  was  hailed  as  "That's  him  !  " 
"There  he  goes!"  etc.  Mr.  Oliver  in  the  meanwhile 
quietly  and  unobservedly  walked  in  from  the  rear  of  the 
Theatre. 

It  was  proposed  by  some  enterprising  citizens  to  re- 
move the  Bridewell  and  Jail  to  the  Xorth  River  and  to 
construct  two-story  houses  in  the  park  fronting  Chatham 
Street,  as  a  source  of  revenue  to  the  city.  A  petition 
was  circulated  asking  that  the  "Jail  liberties  "  should 
be  extended  over  the  whole  county;  they  were  then  re- 
stricted to  an  area  of  160  acres. 

The  use  of  anthracite  coal  was  beginning  to  be  gener- 
ally introduced.  Up  to  this  period  heavy  merchandise 
had  been  bought  and  sold  by  the  ton,  hundredweight, 
quarter,  and  pound;  but  in  this  year  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce and  merchants  decided  to  sell  by  the  pound;  the 
old  and  lumbering  double  platform  scales  were  abandoned, 
and  the  single  platform  or  lever  scales  introduced. 

The  New  York  Dry  Dock  Co.  was  organized  about  this 
time,  and  constructed  two  marine  railways  between 
Tenth  and  Eleventh  streets,  Avenue  D,  and  the  river. 
These  were  the  first  and  only  constructions  in  this  city, 
if  not  in  the  United  States,  by  which  a  vessel  could  be 
raised  from  the  water,  for  up  to  this  time,  in  order  to 
calk  the  bottom  of  a  vessel  or  to  copper  it,  it  was  neces- 
sary to  "  heave  her  down";  that  is,  to  secure  the  top  of 
her  lower  masts  to  the  pier  at  low  water,  then  heave  them 
down  by  a  crab  and  falls,  and  when  the  tide  rose  one  side 
of  her  bottom  would  be  raised  out  of  the  water. 

The  raising  of  the  supposed  treasure  in  the  British 
frigate    Hussar,   before    referred    to,   was    held  to  be  an 


152  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

enterprise  so  promising  of  success  that  a  second  com- 
pany was  organized  for  the  purpose;  but  as  neither  com- 
pany would  allow  the  divers  of  the  other  to  descend 
without  being  accompanied  by  one  of  their  own,  their 
operations  were  held  in  abeyance. 

New  York  Chemical  Works,  with  banking  privileges, 
was  chartered  through  the  labors  of  John  C.  Morrison,  a 
druggist  at  183  Greenwich  Street,  under  cover  of  being 
a  factory  for  drugs  and  chemicals.  It  was  located  on  a 
point  of  land  at  foot  of  Thirty-second  Street,  and  Fitz- 
roy  Road,  Hudson  River;  which  point  for  many  years 
after  was  one  of  the  landmarks  of  the  river,  and  known  as 
"the  Chemical  Works,"  in  like  manner  to  "  the  Glass 
House  Point  "  near  to  it,  where  there  was  a  glass  factory. 

It  was  from  this  that  the  Chemical  Bank  was  organized, 
and  commenced  operations  in  Broadway  near  to  corner  of 
Ann  Street,  afterward  the  site  of  the  Herald  Building. 

It  was  in  this  year  that  a  passenger  from  Liverpool, 
landing  at  Fire  Island,  and  staging  to  the  city,  in  con- 
sequence of  a  great  rise  in  the  price  of  cotton  from  fifteen 
to  thirty  cents  per  pound,  conveyed  the  news  to  cer- 
tain parties,  who  bought  it  here,  and  despatched  pilot- 
boats  and  expresses  to  the  Southern  parts  to  buy  more. 
Reaction  came,  however,  and  the  ruin  of  several  firms 
wras  the  result. 

Johnson,  who  had  been  indicted  for  murder  on  the  4th 
of  December  preceding,  was  found  guilty  on  the  17th  of 
March,  and  as  there  were  not  any  members  of  the  legal 
profession  in  those  days  known  as  Tombs  lawyers,  vulgo 
Shysters,  the  verdict  was  accepted  without  appeal  and  he 
was  hanged  on  the  2d  of  April.  The  proceedings  con- 
nected with  his  execution  were  so  widely  different  from 
those  of  a  later,  and  the  present  day,  that  a  reference  to 
them  may  be  of  interest.  The  culprit,  dressed  in  white, 
trimmed  with  black,  and  seated  on  his  coffin  in  an  open 
wagon,    was  transported   from   the  Bridewell   (City  Hall 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,    MAYOR  153 

Park)  through  Broadway  to  an  open  field  at  the  junction 
of  Second  Avenue  and  about  Thirteenth  Street,  where 
his  execution  was  witnessed  by  many  thousands  of  per- 
sons; his  body  was  then  taken  to  the  Hall  of  the  Phy- 
sicians and  Surgeons  in  Barclay  Street,  where  it  was  sub- 
jected to  a  number  of  experiments  with  galvanism. 

An  Egyptian  mummy,  the  first  ever  brought  to  this 
country,  was  exhibited  in  one  of  the  basement  rooms  of 
the  Almshouse;  an  ordinary  building,  alike  to  a  row  of 
six  three-story  dwelling-houses,  occupying  the  site  of  the 
present  new  Court  House. 

May  16.  The  steamboat  Etna,  plying  in  the  Raritan 
River  and  hence  to  New  Brunswick,  justified  her  ill- 
omened  name  by  bursting  both  of  her  boilers,  involving  a 
great  loss  of  life.  As  her  engines  were  of  the  type  known 
as  high  pressure,  and  this  was  the  first  instance  of  this 
type  in  Northern  or  Eastern  waters,  loud  expressions 
were  to  be  heard  of  the  danger  to  be  apprehended  from 
this  class  of  boats. 

In  June  the  Chancellor  decided  the  long-mooted  vexed 
question  as  to  the  exclusive  right  of  some  parties  to  the 
navigation  of  certain  rivers;  and  thus  the  Hudson  River, 
for  example,  was  decided  to  be  open  to  general  naviga- 
tion by  steamboats.  The  steamboat  Olive  Branch,  on  the 
route  to  Albany,  which  had  been  compelled  (in  order  to 
evade  the  act  giving  to  certain  parties  the  exclusive  right 
to  navigate  hence  to  Albany  by  steam)  to  start  from 
Paulus  Hook,  touching  here  en  route,  was,  in  common 
with  all  others,  permitted  henceforth  to  run  directly 
from  here  to  Albany. 

August  15  General  Marquis  de  Lafayette,  the  friend  of 
Washington,  who  had  given  to  this  country  his  generous 
aid  in  the  dark  days  of  the  Revolution,  arrived  here  in 
the  packet-ship  Cadmus.  On  the  16th  he  landed  at  Castle 
Garden,  the  guest  of  the  nation,  being  received  by  the 
entire  military  force  of  the  city  and  an  enormous  con- 


154  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

course  of  citizens.  He  was  greeted  by  many  of  his 
former  companions  in  arms,  notably,  Generals  Van  Cort- 
landt  and  Clarkson,  and  Colonels  Marinus  Willett, 
Varick,  Piatt,  and  Trumbull;  General  Morgan  Lewis  and 
Colonel  Nicholas  Fish  were  necessarily  absent.  In  order 
to  add  to  the  assemblage  of  citizens  upon  the  reception 
of  General  Lafayette,  the  committee  of  arrangements 
provided  that  upon  his  arrival  mounted  buglers  should 
ride  through  the  city,  and  at  certain  intervals,  at  the 
corners  of  streets,  proclaim  his  arrival  by  blasts  from 
their  instruments.  The  incidents  of  this  most  interest- 
ing visit  have  been  related  in  sufficient  detail  by  other 
chroniclers.  I  shall  here  merely  refer  to  the  reception 
at  the  mansion  (before  mentioned)  of  Colonel  Rutgers, 
on  Monroe,  Cherry,  Clinton,  and  Jefferson  streets,  then 
at  its  height  of  elegant  comfort;  and  to  the  great  fete  of 
September  14  at  Castle  Garden,  enclosed  for  the  occasion 
in  canvas;  an  entertainment  which,  for  brilliancy  and 
success  at  every  point,  was  far  in  advance  of  any  that 
ever  before  had  been  essayed  in  the  city,  and  was  equalled 
only  by  the  reception  at  a  later  day  of  the  Prince  of 
Wales.  Castle  Garden  (Castle  Clinton),  originally  a 
small  fortified  island  off  the  Battery,  known  as  Fort 
George,  had  been  leased  by  the  city  to  a  Mr.  Marsh,  who 
converted  it  into  a  day  and  evening  resort.  The  entire 
portion  facing  the  bay  and  river  at  the  top  of  the  parapet 
wall  was  floored  for  a  very  convenient  width,  with  seats  at 
the  sides,  and  being  protected  by  awnings  in  the  day,  it 
was,  in  connection  with  the  character  of  the  citizens  that 
patronized  it  both  day  and  evening,  without  parallel,  and 
the  most  enjoyable  spot,  of  a  warm  day,  that  the  city  had 
ever  possessed. 

It  was  from  a  party  of  young  men  who  were  in  the 
habit  of  meeting  at  Castle  Garden  that  the  "  Toe  Club  " 
was  formed,  one  of  the  first  social  clubs  that  was  organ- 
ized in  New  York,  the  members  of  which  were  designated 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,    MAYOR  157 

"Toes,"  and  their  place  of  meeting  was  termed  their 
"Shoe."  Subsequently  they  met  at  Stoneall's,  corner 
Fulton  and  Nassau  streets. 

Le  Roy,  Bayard  &  Co.  were  asked  by  the  Greek  depu- 
ties in  London  representing  the  Greek  Government,  to 
furnish  an  estimate  of  the  cost  of  a  fifty-gun  frigate,  to 
be  built  in  this  city.  They  gave  a  detailed  estimate 
summing  up  a  little  less  than  two  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars.  As  a  result  of  such  an  unlooked-for 
low  estimate,  orders  were  received  by  Le  Roy,  Bayard 
&  Co.  to  proceed,  and  they  contracted  with  Henry  Eck- 
ford  for  one  vessel,  and  G.  G.  &  S.  S.  Howland  with 
Smith  &  Dimon  for  another.  The  reported  cruelties 
practised  upon  the  Greeks  by  the  Turks,  with  whom 
they  were  at  war,  aroused  such  a  feeling  of  indignation 
here  that  a  fund  was  raised  to  aid  in  the  construction  of 
these  frigates. 

The  vessels  were  not  only  not  completed  within  the 
period  specified  in  the  contract,  but  not  for  twice  that 
period.  Their  cost,  enhanced  by  charges  for  commission, 
premiums  of  exchange,  brokerage,  etc.,  exceeded  the 
amount  of  the  estimate  furnished  even  for  the  cost  of 
one. 

When  the  vessels  were  completed,  named  Hope  and 
Liberator,  at  a  cost  of  a  little  less  than  nine  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  there  was  a  balance  due  on  them,  and 
they  were  not  allowed  to  depart.  But  so  pressing  was 
the  need  of  the  Greeks  that  it  was  proposed  by  them  to 
leave  one  in  security  for  the  balance,  provided  the  other 
was  allowed  to  depart,  which  was  refused.  A  committee 
of  three  merchants  was  appointed  as  arbitrators  of  the 
case  ;  and  the  United  States  Government  bought  the 
Hope  for  two  hundred  and  twenty-six  thousand  dollars, 
named  her  Hudson,  and  removed  her  to  the  Navy  Yard, 
where  she  remained  as  a  receiving  ship;  but,  having  been 
built  hurriedly  of  green  timber,  she  soon  rotted  and  was 


158  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

never  put  in  active  service,  and  in  1825  was  offered  by 
the  Government  at  a  public  auction,  and  retained  by  it 
at  a  bid  of  five  thousand  dollars. 

Soon  after  charges  of  corruption,  over-charges,  etc., 
were  so  publicly  and  persistently  made  that  cards  re- 
questing suspension  of  public  opinion  were  published  in 
the  papers,  followed  by  pamphlets  in  explanation  and 
defence.  The  whole  affair,  from  beginning  to  end,  was 
a  reflection  upon  the  character  of  many  of  the  parties 
concerned  to  such  an  extent  that  the  recital  of  it  in 
Walter  Barrett's  book  is  painful  to  read,  and  especially 
so  when  it  is  borne  in  mind  that  the  citizens  of  the 
United  States  at  large  were  zealously  appealed  to,  to  con- 
tribute to  the  fund  in  aid  of  the  struggling  Greeks,  and 
that  funds  were  contributed  not  only  by  individual  con- 
tribution, but  by  societies,  colleges,  firemen,  schools,  etc. 

It  so  occurred  that  I  was  personally  advised  of  some 
of  the  proceedings  in  the  construction  of  these  vessels. 
The  bookkeeper  and  only  clerk  with  the  constructors  of 
the  Liberator  (Smith  &  Dimon),  after  the  exposure  of  the 
great  cost  of  these  vessels,  was  taken  into  partnership; 
and  it  was  a  common  remark  in  the  neighborhood  of  their 
yard  that  they  built  several  vessels  after  the  Liberator, 
and  were  not  known  to  buy  much  material. 

The  Advocate,  a  leading  paper,  in  its  columns  of  the 
2 1  st  of  September,  published  the  fact,  accompanied  with 
expressions  of  its  disapprobation,  that  a  young  man  had 
been  seen  smoking  in  the  streets  so  early  as  nine  o'clock 
in  the  morning. 

In  boring  for  water  in  Jacob  Street  during  this  year 
a  moderately  effervescing  spring  was  struck,  which,  upon 
being  submitted  to  chemical  analysis  by  Dr.  Chilton,  was 
reported  to  possess  medicinal  elements.  The  owner  of 
the  property  forthwith  furnished  the  first  floor  of  the 
building  with  the  instruments  of  a  spa,  and  a  stock  com- 
pany was   organized.      The   water   was  sold   at   sixpence 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,    MAYOR  159 

a  glass,  and  for  some  weeks  the  receipts  were  very 
remunerative;  but  upon  some  one  suggesting  that,  as  the 
locality  was  surrounded  by  tan-pits,  which  had  retained 
tan-bark,  lime,  and  animal  skins  for  half-a-century  or 
more,  the  ground  might  have  received  and  imparted  to 
the  spring  water  such  a  variety  of  elements  as  to  give  it 
effervescing  or  sparkling  qualities,  the  business  ceased, 
the  siphons  were  removed,  and  the  building  was  occupied 
for  the  purpose  of  other  trade. 

Piracy  in  the  West  Indies,  which  I  have  before  men- 
tioned, was  continued  to  such  an  extent  that  a  public 
meeting  of  the  citizens  was  called  to  urge  upon  the  Gov- 
ernment more  effective  action  in  its  suppression.  A 
meeting  of  citizens  was  called  to  consider  the  matter  of 
the  erection  of  a  statue  to  General  Washington. 

November  24  the  sloop  Neptune,  hence  to  Albany,  was 
capsized  off  West  Point,  and  twenty-three  of  her  passen- 
gers were  drowned. 

December  9  Captain  Harris  of  H.  B.  M.  frigate  Hussar, 
challenged  the  Whitehall  boatmen  of  this  city  to  a  race 
with  a  crew  from  his  ship,  in  a  race-boat  of  his  that  had 
won  a  prize  at  Halifax,  the  Dart,  for  a  thousand  dollars 
a  side.  The  interest  in  the  race  was  very  great;  it  was 
estimated  that  there  were  full  twenty  thousand  specta- 
tors. It  occurred  off  the  Battery,  over  a  triangular 
course;  the  weather  and  the  water  were  rough,  and  the 
Whitehall  boat,  the  American  Star,  was  victorious  by  a 
lead  of  about  three  hundred  yards. 

The  daily  publication  of  newspapers  at  this  time  was 
but  14,266.  The  Advocate,  a  leading  paper,  both  political 
and  social,  had  three  thousand  subscribers. 

In  this  year  James  P.  Allaire,  the  proprietor  of  the 
largest  steam-engine  manufactory  in  the  United  States, 
located  on  Cherry  and  Monroe  between  Walnut  (Jack- 
son) and  Corlears  streets,  designed  and  constructed  the 
engines  of  the  steamboat  Henry  Eckford,  which  were  of 


l6o  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

the  compound  type,  being  the  first  of  the  kind  built  in 
this  country  or  applied  to  marine  purposes  in  any  coun- 
try; subsequently,  1825  to  1828,  he  constructed  those  of 
the  Sun,  Post  Boy,  Commerce,  Swi/tsure,  and  Pilot  Boy.  It 
was  not  until  more  than  thirty  years  after  (i860)  that 
the  English  engineers  revived  this  type  of  engine;  intro- 
ducing it  in  all  their  steamers  and  land  engines  with 
the  improvement  of  a  receiver  intermediate  between  the 
cylinders,  and  operating  with  a  much  higher  pressure  of 
steam. 

A  considerable  movement  in  the  theatrical  world  took 
place  in  the  year  1824.  The  Lafayette  Theatre  in  Lau- 
rens Street  near  Canal,  owned  by  Major-general  Charles 
W.  Sandford,  was  built  by  him. 

May  10  the  Chatham  Street  Garden,  built  in  1822,  and 
designed  for  a  resort  in  summer,  as  it  was  covered  only 
by  an  awning,  was  reconstructed  as  a  theatre,  at  which 
Joseph  Jefferson,  Jr.,  afterward  appeared,  and  also  Will- 
iam R.  Blake  for  the  first  time  in  New  York. 

The  American  Museum  (Scudder's),  originally  at  20 
Chatham  Street,  and  now  in  New  York  Institution  (see 
page  &$),  was  the  only  one  in  the  city.  In  evenings 
of  favorable  weather  a  band  of  musicians  from  over 
the  portico  enlivened  the  grounds  in  front,  which  became 
a  very  popular  resort.  Subsequently  it  removed  to  the 
building  on  the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Ann  Street,  the 
site  of  the  late  Herald  building,  and  here  were  transferred 
the  curiosities  of  the  Museum,  afterward  owned  by  Phineas 
T.  Barnum,  the  world-renowned  showman.  It  was  here 
that  Barnum  opened  a  theatre  under  the  style  of  "  Lec- 
ture Room,"  of  which  that  close  observer,  the  late 
"  Artemus  Ward,"  remarked  that  you  could  see  Barnum's 
actors  before  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  going  to  work 
with  their  tin  dinner-pails.  Here  Barnum  produced  his 
Mermaid,  manufactured  by  a  Swede  in  Washington;  his 
''Woolly"  horse,    Wild    Woman  of   Borneo,  Joice   Ileth, 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,   MAYOR  l6l 

the  " What-is-it ? "  etc.,  and  generally  rejoiced  in  hum- 
bug. The  premises  were  destroyed  by  fire,  July  4, 
1865. 

September  23,  in  some  of  the  principal  streets,  the 
laying  of  gas-pipes  for  public  service  was  begun,  and  on 
the  30th  Samuel  Leggett,  the  President  of  the  Gas  Com- 
pany (New  York),  gave  a  reception  at  his  house,  in  com- 
memoration of  the  event. 

I  remark  a  circumstance  that  even  now  appears  in 
memory  as  a  matter  of  importance  in  the  social  life  of 
old  New  York.  Edward  Windust,  who  had  occupied  149 
Water  Street,  opened  his  famous  restaurant  in  the  cellar 
of  No.  11  Chatham  (Park  Row),  where  for  very  many  years 
he  remained  unrivalled  as  a  caterer.  Moreover,  his 
premises  were  a  centre  of  animated  life,  the  home  of  the 
theatrical  profession,  and  the  resort  of  the  brightest  minds 
in  society.  For  theatre  parties  the  place  was  without 
rival.  Between  the  acts  at  the  Park  Theatre  the  rooms 
were  filled  with  men  of  fashion  and  wit,  and  at  all  times 
with  the  gourmets.  The  walls  were  richly  adorned  with 
illustrations  of  the  stage.  It  had  an  entrance  also  in 
Ann  Street,  which  was  not  generally  known  (it  was  not  a 
"side  door"),  and  young  men  would  frequently  employ 
a  hack  and  direct  it  to  Windust's,  leaving  it  standing  in 
front,  and  they  would  then  pass  out  through  the  Ann 
Street  door,  leaving  the  hack  to  await  them  until  the 
driver,  becoming  alarmed  for  his  fare,  would  enquire 
and  discover  his  loss.  It  was  in  this  place  that  William 
Sykes,  in  1833,  who  either  was  employed  by  or  in  part- 
nership with  Windust,  was  accidentally  shot  one  evening 
by  a  young  man  exhibiting  his  pistol.  Later  (1837) 
Windust  withdrew  and  leased  a  building,  347  Broadway, 
opening  it  as  the  Atheneum  Hotel,  where  he  failed  of  the 
success  he  anticipated. 

Windust's  motto,  Nunquam  Non  Para  fits,  was  no  vain 
boast.  Some  distorted  memory  of  it  must  have  brought 
6 


162  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

about  an  amusing  incident  just  related  to  me  by  an  emi- 
nent citizen  of  New  York.  He  was  walking  on  Sixth 
Avenue  when  he  remarked,  within  an  oyster-shop,  an 
imposing  sign  bearing  the  legend,  Nunquam  Paratus. 
Entering  the  place,  he  said  to  the  proprietor  that  he 
wanted  some  oysters,  but  saw  that  he  could  get  none 
there.  "What  d'ye  mean?"  said  the  man  gruffly. 
"Why,  you  have  a  sign  hung  out  to  say  you  are  not  pre- 
pared with  them."  "  No  sich  thing.  Where  is  any 
sich  sign?"  "Why,  here;  this  Nunquam  Paratus." 
"Humph  !"  said  the  oyster  man,  "I  guess  you  don't 
know — that's  Latin,  that  sign  is.  It  means  'always  pre- 
pared.'" "My  friend,"  was  the  visitor's  reply,  "I 
guess  somebody  has  been  humbugging  you;  if  you 
want  to  have  'always  prepared,'  in  Latin,  you  must 
say,  Nunquam  Non  Paratus;  the  sign  you  now  have 
up  means  'never  prepared.'"  My  informant  added 
that  he  did  not  know  if  other  scholars  had  been  con- 
sulted or  not,  but  on  passing  the  shop  a  few  days  after- 
ward, he  observed  that  the  Nunquam  Paratus  had  dis- 
appeared. 

In  Marion,  near  Houston  Street,  there  was  a  theatre  in 
which  the  performers  were  colored. 

James  Fenimore  Cooper  conceived  and  originated  the 
formation  of  a  club  which  was  designated  the  Bread  and 
Cheese  Club,  which  met  semi-monthly  at  the  Washing- 
ton Hall  in  Broadway,  now  the  northern  part  of  the  site 
of  the  Stewart  Building.  Amongst  its  members  were 
eminent  scholars  and  professional  men  of  the  period.  In 
balloting  for  membership,  "bread"  was  an  affirmative 
vote,  and  "cheese"  a  negative. 

Accompanying  an  enthusiastic  disciple  of  Isaac  Walton 
to  Patchogue,  L.  I.,  we  reached  Roe's  tavern  in  the 
regular  course  of  stage  and  wagon  in  twenty-six  hours  ; 
the  same  distance  is  now  (1895)  accomplished  in  less  than 
three  hours. 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,    MAYOR  163 

The  offices  of  a  leading  broker  in  Wall  Street,  between 
Broad  and  William,  rented  for  five  hundred  dollars  per 
annum. 

At  this  period  the  public  promenades  in  the  city  were 
restricted  to  the  Battery  and  to  the  bridge  leading  to 
the  Red  Fort,  foot  of  Hubert  Street,  simple  breathing- 
places,  without  even  seats  or  refectories  of  any  descrip- 
tion. The  general  public  went  to  Hoboken,  where  there 
was  a  large  public-house  on  an  elevation  of  the  ground, 
sloping  down  to  the  river  immediately  at  the  ferry  land- 
ing, which  was  known  as  the  "  Green,"  and  from  thence 
there  was  a  wide  shaded  walk  up  to  the  boundary  of  the 
Stevens  Mansion.  In  this  walk  of  a  week-day,  young 
people  from  the  city  would  flock,  and  spruce  beer,  mead, 
gingerbread,  and  fruits  could  be  had.  On  Sundays  the 
visitors  were  of  a  different  type,  young  men,  clerks, 
shopmen,  and  young  merchants,  would  fill  the  benches 
on  the  "Green,"  smoke,  and  drink  lemonade  and  port- 
wine  sangarees.  American  whiskey  was  then  wholly 
unknown  north  of  Baltimore,  and  as  for  lager  beer, 
it  did  not  appear  until  many  years  after.  So  gener- 
ally was  the  "  Green  "  patronized  on  a  Sunday,  that 
it  was  publicly  reported  that  Arthur  Tappan  offered 
one  million  dollars  for  the  ground  in  order  to  close  it 
up  on  that  day. 

On  the  opening  of  the  "Elysian  Fields"  (1831)  the 
walk  was  extended  on  the  river  shore  to  them,  and  then 
the  green  in  front  of  the  house  of  entertainment  there 
was  occupied  in  the  manner  that  the  "  Green  "  had  been. 

The  Rev.  Prince  Hohenlohe,  near  Olmiitz  (Moravia), 
was  reported  to  have  performed  miracles,  and  a  lady  of 
Washington,  who  had  been  many  years  afflicted,  com- 
municated with  him,  and,  at  a  preconcerted  time,  prayed 
with  him,  whereupon  it  was  proclaimed  she  was  imme- 
diately cured.  I  recollect  the  report  of  the  case  and 
the   extended   discussion   it   involved    at   the    time. 


164  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

About  this  period  night-latches  for  the  outer  doors  of 
residences  were  introduced,  and  in  order  that  the  great  con- 
venience they  effected  may  be  fully  appreciated,  one  must 
understand  that  prior  to  this  these  doors  were  secured 
only  by  a  large  iron  lock,  the  iron  key  of  which  varied 
from  six  to  eight  inches  in  length,  and  was  of  a  proportion- 
ate weight  thereto;  hence,  if  a  member  of  a  family  pur- 
posed to  remain  out  late  at  night,  he  had  either  to  agree 
with  some  member  of  it  to  remain  up  for  him,  to  lock 
the  door  and  take  the  key  with  him,  or  awake  the  family 
by  the  knocker  on  the  door.  Door-bells  were  then  very 
rarely,  if  at  all,  in  use.  The  old  story  of  a  man,  in  default 
of  a  knocker  at  his  door,  having  used  that  of  a  neighbor 
to  awake  his  family  is  not  a  fiction;  a  case  did  occur  in 
Warren  Street,  in  this  city. 

The  New  York  Bible  Society  organized.  Occupied  a 
room  corner  of  Cedar  and  Nassau  streets,  then  one  in  Cliff 
Street,  then  one  in  Hanover  Street,  then  erected  a 
building  on  Nassau  between  Beekman  and  Ann  streets  ; 
1830  enlarged  ;  1852,  at  its  present  site,  occupying  the 
square  bounded  by  Third  and  Fourth  avenues,  Astor 
.Place,  and  Ninth  Street;  cost,  $304,000.  Supplies  Bibles 
to  families  and  emigrants  as  they  arrive,  to  vessels,  pub- 
lic institutions,  Sunday-schools,  hotels,  and  city  mission- 
ary societies. 


»,<<'-  -ii',- 


DUTCH    HOUSE 


CHAPTER  VIII 

1825. — WILLIAM    PAULDING    AND    PHILIP    HONE, 
MAYORS 

A  number  of  citizens  associated  in  1823,  and  formed 
a  society  for*  the  custody  of  juvenile  delinquents,  and 
their  moral  and  scholastic  improvement;  and  as  another 
party  entertained  the  purpose  of  constructing  a  House 
of  Refuge  for  such  delinquents  after  the  manner  which 
had  been  proposed  by  Dr.  John  Griscom  six  years 
previously,  the  two  associations  joined;  and  in  1824  the 
United  States  Arsenal  at  junction  of  Broadway  and  the 
old  Boston  or  Middle  Road,  which  had  been  built  in  1806, 
now  the  site  of  the  Farragut,  Worth,  and  Seward  monu- 
ments, was  fashioned  to  accommodate  the  two  sexes  of 
juveniles,  and  on  the  1st  of  January,  1825,  it  was  opened 
for  operation.  This  building  was  burned  in  1839,  and  the 
institution  was  removed  to  the  foot  of  East  Twenty- 
third   Street   in    October   of   that   year. 

The  site  of  these  buildings  and  the  surrounding  area, 
in  1807,  extended  to  Thirty-fourth  Street  on  the  north, 
Third  Avenue  on  the  east,  and  Seventh  Avenue  on  the 
west;  it  was  reduced  in  1814  to  the  limits  of  Thirty-first 
Street,  Fourth  and  Sixth  avenues,  and  designated  as 
Madison  Square.  About  1844  a  further  reduction  was 
made  to  the  present  limits  of  Madison  Square — Madison 
and  Fifth  avenues,  Twenty-third  and  Twenty-sixth  streets. 
The  original  design  was  that  of  a  great  military  parade- 
ground. 

In  this  year  Chambers  Street  was  extended  from  Cross 
(now   City  Hall  Place)  to  Chatham  Street;  the  name  of 


1 66 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


Hester  Street,  from  Centre  to  Broadway,  was  changed  to 
Howard  Street  ;  the  Merchants'  Exchange  building  was 
begun  ;  a  new  building  for  the  Savings  Bank  lately 
known  as  the  Bleecker  Street  was  erected  in  Chambers 
Street.  An  extensive  fire  occurred  in  Spring,  Sullivan, 
and  Thompson  streets.  The  city  was  divided  into  twelve 
wards.  Illuminating  gas  was  coming  more  and  more 
into  general  use,  and  the  wooden   lamp-posts  were  being 


~ '.^---^  ,--  -. 


UNITED  STATES  ARSENAL,    BROADWAY   AND   MIDDLE   ROAD,    NOW 
MADISON   SQUARE 


replaced  by  those  of  iron.  Gas-pipes  were  now  first  laid 
in  Broadway  from  the  Battery  to  Canal  Street.  As  the 
gasoliers,  burners,  etc.,  were  made  in  England,  and  no 
invoice  for  them  was  received  with  the  first  shipment  of 
these  articles,  a  delay  of  several  weeks  ensued  before 
their  cost  could  be  known,  and.  the  price  be  computed 
for  which   they   should   be    sold. 

March  i.  First  appeared  the  Courrier  des  Etats  Urn's, 
published  at  55  Wall  Street,  and  on  March  21  the  first 
Sunday  newspaper  known  in  Xew  York,  the  Sunday 
Courier,  edited    and    published    by   James   C.   Melcher. 

The    Steamboats    United  States,    Captain    Beecher,    and 


i67 

the  Linnceus,  Captain  Peck,  ran  to  New  Haven,  fare  three 
dollars.  The  dimensions  of  these  boats  were  less  than 
those  of  the  transfer  boats  that  now  ply  between  Brooklyn 
and  Jersey  City,  without  equal  accommodations  and  with 
very  much  less  speed.  The  steamboats  Constitution  and 
Constellation  were  launched  in  the  early  part  of  this  year, 
and,  when  engined,  were  put  upon  the  route  to  Albany, 
by  an  association  known  as  the  Hudson  River  Line,  in 
opposition  to  the  Old  or  North  River  Line,  which  was 
ultimately   rendered  bankrupt  by  this   competition. 

The  Mowatt  Brothers,  owners  of  the  steamboat  Henry 
Eckford,  proposed  the  novel  project  of  transporting 
merchandise  and  produce  between  Now  York  and  Albany 
in  barges  towed  by  a  steamboat,  and  in  pursuance  of  the 
design,  the  Henry  Eckford  was  advertised  to  start  from 
the  foot  of  Rector  Street  with  two  barges  in  tow.  As 
the  design  was  generally  held  to  be  impracticable,  the 
attendance  did  not  exceed  one  hundred  and  fifty  persons 
(of  whom  I  was  one);  it  was  generally  asked,  if  the  en- 
gine of  one  boat  was  well  employed  to  transport  itself, 
how  could  it  effectively  transport  two  others?  At  the 
appointed  time,  with  a  punctuality  worthy  of  imitation, 
the  boat  moved  off  with  her  load,  and  reaching  Albany  in 
the  practicable  time  of  twenty-four  hours,  the  operation 
was  aeknowledged  to  be  a  success. 

Up  to  this  year,  when  tow  or  tug  boats  were  introduced, 
sailing  vessels  were  navigated  from  Sandy  Hook  around 
the  city,  and  even  through  Hell  Gate,  under  their  canvas 
alone.  Vessels  of  war,  beating  from  the  Navy  Yard  down 
the  East  River  and  Bay,  were  a  frequent  and  interesting 
sight. 

Charles  Hall,  a  prominent  merchant  of  this  city, 
generally  known  by  an  undesirable  sobriquet,  built  the 
ship  Washington,  of  979  tons  old  measurement  (equal  to 
about  1 1 20  of  the  present,  for  a  hull  of  her  dimensions 
and    model),    and    stayed    her    lower    masts    with    chain 


l68  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

shrouding.  This  was  not  only  the  largest  merchantman 
that  had  ever  been  built  in  the  United  States,  but  the 
first  one  in  which  chain  rigging  was  introduced.  In 
consequence  of  her  great  size  and  novel  rigging  she  was 
very  generally  visited  by  residents  and  strangers,  who 
with  common  accord  pronounced  her  a  failure,  as  a 
business  experiment  on  account  of  her  size,  and  nautically 
on  account  of  her  lower  rigging;  and  she  was  colloquially 
termed  "Bully  Hall's  failure." 

April  26.  The  cleaning  of  the  streets,  piers,  etc.,  for 
the  current  year,  with  possession  of  the  sweepings,  was 
offered  at  public  auction,  and  the  lowest  price  to  be 
received  by  the  contractor  was  five  thousand  dollars! 

The  sweeping  of  the  streets  was  so  different  from  that 
in  operation  at  the  final  period  of  these  reminiscences 
that  it  is  worthy  of  reference.  Thus,  all  house  and  store 
holders  were  required  to  clear  the  gutters  and  sweep  the 
pavement  in  front  of  their  buildings  out  to  the  centre  of 
the  street,  from  whence  it  was  the  duty  of  the  department 
of  street-cleaning  to  remove  the  dirt;  but  alike  to  many 
other  public  duties,  the  neglect  of  it  was  more  apparent 
than  the*  observance;  and,  as  a  result,  not  only  were  the 
newspapers  and  individuals  loud  in  their  many  complaints, 
but  frequently  parties,  suffering  from  the  neglect  by  the 
accumulation  of  filth  in  the  streets,  would  pile  it  up  in  a 
great  mass  and  then  label  it  "Corporation  Pudding,"  and, 
in  later  years,  "Bloodgood  Pies,"  etc. ;  Bloodgood  being 
the  head  of  the  department. 

Passengers  from  Philadelphia  via  steamboat  to  Borden- 
town,  thence  by  stage  to  New  Brunswick,  thence  by 
steamboat,  reached  the  city  in  eleven  hours  and  fifteen 
minutes,  and  the  occasion  was  deemed  worthy  of  public 
notice. 

May  2.  The  Bull's  Head  and  the  attendant  tavern 
were  removed  from  the  Bowery  and  Bayard  Street  to 
Third  Avenue   and   Twenty-sixth   Street,  remaining  the 


PHILIP    HONE,    MAYOR 


169 


head-quarters  of  the  drovers  and  horse-dealers;  for  many 
years  Daniel  Drew  was  the  proprietor  of  it,  and  as  there 
was  not  at  this  period  a  bank  above  the  Park,  the  money 
of  his  customers  was  deposited  with  him. 

At  the  time  of  the  construction  of  the  Bull's  Head 
Tavern  the  locality  was  covered  with  trees,  and  back  of 
the   building  was  a  grove,  to   which   picnic  parties  from 


- 


BULL'S  HEAD  TAVERN,   SITE  OF   NEW   YORK   (BOWERY)  THEATRE 


the  city  resorted.  The  property  was  at  one  time  owned 
by  Peter  Lorillard.  In  its  earlier  history  it  was  a  simple 
road-house  after  the  style  of  the  times.  In  the  evening 
it  was  a  place  of  meeting  of  the  drovers,  and  it  was  told 
that  they  were  in  the  habit  of  playing  "  crack  loo  "  there, 
to  an  extent  that  involved  the  loss  of  hundreds  of  dollars. 

The  evident  and  increasing  demand  for  an  enlarged  sup- 
ply of  water  for  the  city  was  becoming  so  manifest  that 
Bronx  River  was  suggested  by  some,  and  boring  by  others, 
as  means  of  obtaining  the  needed  supply. 

The  capacity  of  this  river  was  estimated  to  exceed  three 
6* 


170  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

million  gallons  per  diem,  but  it  was,  and  is,  in  the  summer 
months,  barely  equal  to  the  volume  of  water  now  required 
for  the  flushing  of  our  gutters,  the  sprinkling  of  the 
streets  and   the  parks  and   drives. 

May  28.  The  steamboat  Bellona,  under  command  of 
Cornelius  Vanderbilt  (the  late  "Commodore"),  com- 
menced to  run  to  Union  Garden,  Staten  Island,  for 
12}^  cents  each  way.  This  was  Captain  Vanderbilt's 
second  command,  and  when  William  Gibbons  (the  owner 
of  the  steamboat  line  to  Amboy  and  New  Brunswick) 
in  1828  withdrew  all  his  boats  in  consequence  of  a  newly 
enacted  law  of  the  legislature  of  New  Jersey,  which 
he  alleged  to  be  unjust  to  him,  he  gave  the  Bellona  to 
Captain  Vanderbilt.  In  illustration  of  the  difference  in 
the  manner  in  which  steamboats  of  that  day  were  fitted, 
compared  with  the  present  mode,  it  will  be  interesting  to 
learn  that  the  pilot-house  of  the  Bellona  was  immediately 
over  the  engine-room,  and  that  instead  of  bells  to  signal 
to  the  engineer,  one  stroke  of  a  cane  on  the  floor  was  the 
signal  to  start  or  to  slow,  as  the  position  of  the  engine 
admitted,  and  two  strokes  were  the  signal   for  backing. 

Fitz-Greene  Halleck  published  his  "  Marco  Bozzaris " 
and  "  Fanny  "  in  this  year. 

The  steamboat  Constitution,  on  May  29,  made  the  run 
from  Albany  to  New  York,  aided  by  a  freshet  in  the  river, 
in  the  unprecedented  time  of  13^  hours.  A  flue  of 
the  boiler  of  this  boat,  on  June  21,  collapsed  while 
she  was  landing  at  Poughkeepsie,  and  three  persons 
were  killed.  As  the  boilers  of  all  steamboats,  with  the 
exception  of  the  .Etna,  which  burst  her  boiler  in  1824, 
were  made  of  copper,  the  circumstance  that  this  one  of 
the  Constitution  was  of  iron,  was  made  the  occasion  of 
much  consideration  and  discussion  as  to  the  safety  of  iron 
compared  with  copper. 

The  boiler  of  the  steamboat  Legislator,  at  foot  of  Rec- 
tor   Street,    exploded     on    June    2,   killing    four    persons 


PHILIP    HONE,     MAYOR  IJI 

and  wounding  three  others.  I  witnessed  the  occurrence 
and  went  on  board  of  her  a  few  minutes  after  it.  One  of 
her  crew  in  the  mess-room,  on  hearing  the  rupture  of  the 
boiler,  threw  himself  into  a  large  tool-chest,  closed  the 
lid,  and  by  this  course  escaped  unharmed. 

The  removal  of  houses,  fences,  etc.,  in  the  line  of  Sixth 
Avenue  to  Love  Lane  (Twenty-first  Street),  in  view  of 
the  opening  of  the  avenue,  was  ordered  to  be  effected 
before  the  15th  of  July. 

Theodore  Downing,  long  and  well  known  as  a  caterer, 
after  having  essayed  at  40  Sullivan  Street,  in  1820,  and  at 
33  Pell  Street  in  1822,  opened  at  5  Broad  Street,  where 
he  continued,  until  the  building  was  removed  to  accom- 
modate the  Drexel  building,  to  enjoy  a  wide-spread  repu- 
tation for  the  excellence  of  his  oysters,  and  the  superior 
manner  in  which  he  cooked  plain  dishes. 

About  this  period  Captain  Maxwell,  of  a  line  of  Liver- 
pool packets,  who  resided  on  the  bluff  at  the  Narrows 
near  to  Fort  Lafayette,  brought  over  a  number  of 
English  pheasants  and  set  them  free,  having  in  view  the 
domestication  and  rearing  of  them  in  that  locality.  This 
is  cited  to  illustrate  the  primitive  condition  and  wildness 
of  the  locality  at  that  time. 

Mr.  Daniel  K.  Lambert,  on  the  night  of  the  3d  of  June, 
in  company  with  some  friends,  was  returning  from  a  visit 
to  a  friend  (Lyde)  who  resided  on  or  near  Broadway  and 
Tenth  Street,  a  location  so  strictly  suburban  that  it  par- 
took of  the  character  of  the  country.  About  1  ,\.  m. 
he  was  offensively  addressed  by  a  party  of  young  men, 
and  upon  retaliation  and  defence  being  essayed,  Mr.  Lam- 
bert was  killed  by  a  blow  in  his  stomach.  The  young  men 
were  subsequently  tried  and  convicted  of  manslaughter. 

In  consequence  of  the  general  want  of  confidence  in  the 
safety  of  travel  by  steamboats,  a  company  which  had  been 
duly  organized  constructed  the  steamboats  Commerce  and 
Swiftsure,  and    the    passenger    barges    Lady   Clinton   and 


172  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

Lady  Van  Rensselaer;  the  design  being  total  detachment  of 
the  passengers  from  the  risk  of  explosion  of  the  boiler  or 
fire  on  the  steamboat.  The  first  trip  was  that  of  the  Com- 
merce and  Lady  Clinton  on  July  9.  They  made  the  run 
hence  to  Albany  in  about  twenty-four  hours,  and  were 
held  to  be  very  pleasant  and  safe,  but  the  want  of 
speed  was  fatal,  and  in  two  seasons  they  were  displaced 
by  the  steamboats  New  Philadelphia  and  Albany,  of 
Messrs.  R.  L.  &  J.  C.  Stevens  of  Hoboken.  The  safety 
barge  system  was  supplemented,  however,  in  September 
of  this  year  by  service  of  the  (repaired)  Legislator,  towing 
the  barge  Matilda  hence  and  from  New  Brunswick,  N.  J. 

At  this  time  it  was  suggested,  the  project  being  favor- 
ably considered  by  many,  that  it  would  be  practicable  and 
advisable  to  open  and  extend  Canal  Street,  as  a  canal  or 
strait,  from  river  to  river.  The  public  pound  then  was 
in  the  Park  grounds  and  near  to  the  City  Hall. 

September  7.  General  Lafayette,  having  completed 
his  tour  in  this  country,  in  the  course  of  which  he  had 
received  distinguished  marks  of  popular  reverence  and 
affectionate  regard,  embarked  on  board  the  United  States 
frigate  Brandy/wine,  Captain  Charles  Morris,  for  Cherbourg. 

A  most  interesting  and  significant  series  of  celebrations 
began  when,  on  October  8,  the  Erie  Canal  was  formally 
opened  to  the  Hudson  River  at  Albany,  and  Samuel  L. 
Mitchell,  LL.  D.,  M.  IX,  on  the  part  of  this  city,  poured 
water  from  the  Pacific  and  Atlantic  oceans  into  that  of  the 
canal.  On  the  26th  the  completion  of  the  great  work  was 
celebrated  by  the  departure  of  a  flotilla  of  canal-boats 
from  Buffalo,  at  10  a.  m.,  added  to  at  Albany  by  steam- 
boats, and  proceeding  thence  to  Sandy  Hook,  where  water 
from  Lake  Erie,  from  the  Mississippi  and  Columbia  rivers, 
and  from  the  rivers  of  twelve  foreign  countries,  was  sol- 
emnly poured  into  the  Atlantic.  The  start  from  Buffalo 
was  at  the  signal  of  a  gun,  which  was  transmitted  by  other 
guns  at  intervals   for  the  entire  distance  to    New   York, 


PHILIP    HONE,    MAYOR 


173 


and  then  returned  in  the  same  fashion;  the  times  be- 
tween the  first  and  last  guns  from  lake  to  sea,  and  from 
sea  to  lake  again,  were  an  hour  and  twenty-five  minutes 
each  way.  This  famous  aquatic  procession,  with  its  fit 
company  of  dignitaries,  traversed — it  might  almost  be 
said  under  a  canopy  of  flags — the  whole  breadth  of  the 
State,  and  then  the  Hudson  River,  lighted  by  succes- 
sive bonfires  and  to  the  sound  of  church  bells  through 
the  whole  length  of  its  route.  On  November  4  it  reached 
Xew  York,  when  the  city  fairly  "  broke  loose,"  with  every 
possible  official  and  popular  demonstration  of  rejoicing. 
At  the  City  Hall  fifteen  thousand  fire-balls  were  ignited 
and  projected. 

A  writer  of  1892  notes:  "Probably  no  one  who  wit- 
nessed this  celebration — unless  it  was  a  babe  in  arms,  car- 
ried by  some  mother  who  herself  wished  to  view  the  pro- 
cession— now  lives."  An  incomprehensible  statement, 
since  only  sixty-seven  years  had  passed  in  1892,  and  many 
witnesses  of  the  celebration  in  the  days  of  their  conscious 
childhood  or  youth  remained,  and  still  remain  (1895). 

The  Lafayette  Theatre,  in  Laurens  Street  near  Canal, 
which  had  been  built  in  the  previous  year  and  was  occu- 
pied as  a  circus,  was  selected  as  the  most  available  arena 
in  which  to  hold  the  Grand  Canal  Ball,  which  occurred 
on  November  7. 

It  was  while  the  canal  celebration  was  engrossing 
public  interest  (October  15)  that  Mordecai  M.  Noah, 
editor  of  the  New  York  Enquirer,  essayed  the  realization 
of  a  long-meditated  scheme,  and  at  the  head  of  an  asso- 
ciation of  Hebrews  purchased  Grand  Island  in  Niagara 
River,  termed  it  the  city  of  Ararat,  laid  its  corner-stone, 
and  by  a  proclamation  of  his,  as  first  Judge  of  Israel, 
announced  the  reorganization  of  the  Government  of  the 
Jewish  nation.     The  enterprise  failed. 

Thomas  S.  Hamblin,  the  actor,  arrived  from  London 
on  October  26,  and  on  November  1  appeared  at  the  Park 


174  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

Theatre  in  "Hamlet."  Mrs.  Sharpe  {ne'e  Leesugg),  sis- 
ter to  Mrs.  Hackett,  had  arrived  in  New  York  ten  days 
earlier.  She  appeared  at  the  Park  on  November  15. 
Her  diverse  talents  elicited  praise  for  her  in  almost 
every  department  of  the  drama.  She  retired  from  the 
stage  in  1839. 

Edmund  Kean,  who  had  returned  from  London  in  this 
month,  was  engaged  to  appear  in  Boston,  but  in  conse- 
quence of  his  having  left  England  under  the  cloud  of  a 
very  public  scandal,  the  attendance  at  the  theatre  at  the 
time  of  beginning  his  performance  was  so  light,  as  ob- 
served by  him  from  behind  the  curtain,  that  he  declined 
to  appear,  withdrew  from  the  theatre,  returned  to  this 
city,  and  essayed  to  appear  here.  A  large  portion  of  the 
audience,  comprising  many  Bostonians,  resented  his 
action  and  arrested  the  performance.  Mr.  Kean,  having 
published  a  very  candid  statement  of  the  cause  of  his 
action,  coupled  with  a  very  proper  apology,  was  permitted 
to  perform. 

During  this  autumn  "The  Lady  of  the  Lake,"  pro- 
duced at  the  Chatham  Garden  Theatre,  created  a  genuine 
furor,  and  at  the  same  house  great  popularity  was  obtained 
by  a  domestic  opera  entitled  "Forest  Rose,"  written  by 
Samuel  Woodworth,  in  which  Yankee  character  was 
represented,  much  to  the  public  delight. 

Peale's  Museum,  at  232  Broadway,  opened  October  26 
of  this  year,  was  for  many  years  a  deservedly  popular 
resort  for  old  and  young;  the  young  people  were  amused 
with  the  comic  recitals  of  Dr.  Yalentine,  and  interested 
by  exhibitions  of  curiosities,  by  being  weighed,  electri- 
fied, etc. 

The  Garcia  troupe  that  had  lately  arrived,  the  first  Ital- 
ian troupe  in  the  country,  appeared  at  the  Park  Theatre 
on  November  29  in  "II  Barbiere  di  Seviglia"  before  a  most 
brilliant  audience.  It  was  reported  that  the  box-office 
receipts  for  the  evening  were  three   thousand  dollars,  an 


PHILIP    HONE,    MAYOR  1 75 

enormous  sum  for  those  days.  My  impression  is  that  the 
Garcia  company  was  brought  to  this  country  through  the 
effort  of  Dominick  Lynch,  himself  a  musical  amateur,  and 
a  man  of  fashion  and  great  favorite  in  the  society  of  his 
time.  The  nights  of  performance  were  Tuesdays  and 
Saturdays;  boxes,  two  dollars;  pit,  one  dollar.  Signorina 
Garcia  was  the  prima ;  she  was  very  pretty  and  sprightly, 
and  was  soon  married  to  Mr.  Eugene  Malibran  of  this 
city.  Her  musical  fame  as  Mme.  Malibran  is  a  part  of 
history.  The  few  remaining  men  of  her  day  will  probably 
agree  that  Malibran  has  been  unequalled,  and  though 
deductions  may  be  made  on  the  score  of  immature 
musical  judgment  at  the  time  of  their  hearing  her,  and 
fond  attachment  to  youthful  impressions,  there  remains 
ground  for  supposing  from  the  consent  of  adequate  critics 
who  knew  her  performances  that  she  really  was  the  most 
gifted  and  accomplished  singer  of  modern  times.  Mme. 
Malibran's  most  successful  career  was  brought  to  an 
early  close  through  the  effects  of  a  fall  from  her  horse  at 
Manchester,  England,  in  1836  (she  was  born  in  1800). 

The  Garcia  company  gave  seventy-nine  representa- 
tions of  various  works  of  the  Italian  school,  appearing 
for  the  last  time  in  Xew  York  late  in  September  of 
1826.  Mme.  Malibran,  however,  remained  here  for  about 
a  year  longer. 

In  this  year  there  was  introduced  from  Paris  the  novel 
fashion  of  tapering  the  legs  of  men's  pantaloons  from  the 
knee  down  to  the  foot,  shaping  them  over  the  instep  and 
holding  them  down  by  straps  under  the  boot;  it  was 
termed  a  la  mode  de  Paris.  This  inconvenient  manner 
was  soon  after  improved  by  returning  to  the  wide  legs  of 
the  pantaloons,  and  securing  them  with  a  leather  strap 
under  the  boot  or  shoe,  buttoned  at  the  sides. 

The  steamboat  Sun  was  launched  about  this  time,  and 
at  a  later  day  she  ran  from  Albany  to  this  port  in  a  few 
minutes  over  twelve   hours,  which  was  far  in  advance  of 


176  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

any  previous  passage.     This  performance  was  held  to  be 
worthy  of  being  recorded  in  rhyme,  which  read  : 

"  Now  hurrah  for  the  steamboat  Sn/i, 
From  Albany  to  York  she  come  ; 
In  hours  twelve  and  minutes  few, 
The  time  is  short,  the  story's  true." 

December  23  the  name  of  Slote  Lane  was  changed  to 
Exchange  Place.  On  the  31st  the  thermometer  marked 
27  °  below  zero. 

The  Botanical  Garden  on  Murray  Hill,  known  as 
Elgin's  Garden,  from  Forty-seventh  to  Fifty-first  Street, 
and  Fifth  to  Sixth  Avenue,  had  been  founded  by  David 
Hosack,  M.  D.,  as  early  as  1801,  while  he  was  Professor 
of  Botany  in  Columbia  College,  and  the  question  of  its 
utility  was  the  subject  of  much  discussion  at  this  time. 
This  estate  of  "Elgin"  had  been  purchased  from  Dr. 
Hosack  by  the  State  in  1814  and  given  to  Columbia 
College  to  replace  a  Vermont  township  granted  long 
before,  and  lost  when  the  claim  of  New  York  to  owner- 
ship of  Vermont  was  defeated.  This  ground  forms  the 
chief  part  of  Columbia's  present  endowment. 

In  this  year  the  young  Duke  of  Saxe-Weimar  visited 
the  city  and  country.  En  ?-oute  to  Niagara  Falls  by 
stage,  at  one  of  the  change-stables  or  hotels  he  entered 
the  bar-room  to  warm  himself,  when,  as  he  was  the 
only  passenger  wanting  to  fill  the  list,  the  new  driver 
entered  and  asked,  "Where  is  the  man  I  am  going 
to  drive  ?  "  to  which  the  Duke  responding,  the  driver 
rejoined,  "And  I  am  the  gentleman  that's  going  to 
drive  you." 

The  prototype  of  the  present  steel  pens  was  made  of 
silver;  the  sale,  however,  was  very  restricted,  in  face  of 
attachment  to  the  established  quill;  the  ever-pointed 
pencil    also   made   its    first  appearance   in    this   year. 

About   this   time  were  built   in   Broadway,  opposite  to 


PHILIP    HONE,    MAYOR  I  79 

Bond  Street,  two  houses,  Xos.  663  and  665,  with  marble 
fronts,  probably  the  only  houses  in  the  country  con- 
structed of  that  material.  They  were  then  known  as  the 
"  Marble  Houses,"  later  as  the  Tremont  House,  and  now 
are  absurdly  renamed  the  New  York  Hotel.  So  excep- 
tional were  they  as  to  excite  a  very  general  curiosity,  and 
the  Sunday  afternoon  walks  of  our  citizens  were  in  some 
cases  extended,  in  order  to  obtain  a  view  of  them,  and 
the  "  Marble  Houses  "  became  one  of  the  land-marks  of 
the  boundaries  of  the  city. 

In  evidence  of  the  difference  in  the  character  of  those 
who  then  superintended  and  controlled  local  political 
matters  from  those  of  the  present  day,  termed  ward  poli- 
ticians, a  newspaper  of  1825  gives  notice  of  ward  meet- 
ings, signed  by  such  men  as  Campbell  P.  White,  Isaac 
L.  Yarian,  Daniel  P.  Ingraham,  Stuart  F.  Randolph, 
1.  B.  Thorp,  and  others  like  them. 

The  consumption  of  cotton  in  the  United  States  for 
the  preceding  year  was  estimated  at  150,000  bales.  For 
the  "  cotton  year"  ending  September  1,  1894,  it  was 
2,319,688  bales,  and  for  the  year  September  1,  1892,  to 
September  1,  1893,  it  was  2,431,134  bales. 

Walter  Barrett,  in  his  wonderful  history,  "The  Old 
Merchants  of  New  York,"  gives  the  cause  of  so  many 
boys  from  the  Eastern  States,  or  from  abroad,  succeeding 
in  business  and  becoming  partners  in  the  houses  in  which 
they  were  employed,  while  the  advance  of  our  city  boys 
was  much  less;  asserting  it  to  be  their  cheerful  willing- 
ness to  do  that  which  is  required  of  them,  when  the  City 
boy  would  mutter,  "I'm  not  an  errand  boy."  In  illus- 
tration of  this,  I  became  acquainted  with  a  Mr.  Bernard 
Graham,  who  had  been  a  porter  in  the  extensive  house  of 
Peter  Harmony  &  Co.,  at  No.  63  Broadway,  and  was  then 
known  as  the  out-door  man  of  the  firm,  of  which  he  sub- 
sequently became  a  partner.  Further,  a  young  man  who 
had   worked  on  a  farm   until  he    was   seventeen    years   ot 


l8o  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

age,  became  a  pedler  of  tin  and  wooden  ware.  In  1793 
he  established  a  store  at  40  Maiden  Lane,  and  com- 
menced the  sale  of  dry-goods.  He  made  money,  then 
bought  a  house  in  Pearl  Street,  and,  as  customary  at 
that  period,  he  and  his  family  lived  over  the  first  floor 
or  store.  In  1823  he  built  himself  a  handsome  home 
in  the  upper  part  of  Broadway,  and  when  he  died,  he 
left  a  fortune  of  eight  hundred  thousand  dollars,  which 
was  divided  among  a  large  family  of  children;  but  little 
of  which  now  remains  with  the  heirs  of  those  who  re- 
ceived  it. 

After  the  acceptance  of  the  Commissioners'  Map  of 
the  city  of  1807,  a  square  designated  as  Hamilton. was 
bounded  by  Third  and  Fifth  avenues,  Sixty-sixth  and 
Sixty-ninth  streets,  but  it  has  been  since  closed.  Fay- 
ette, running  from  Chatham  Square  to  Bancker,  was  in 
this  year  changed  to  Oliver  Street. 

The  several  city  ordinances  defining  the  requirements 
of  housekeepers,  individuals,  etc.,  were  better  observed 
than  at  a  later  day.  There  was  one  that  restricted  signs, 
emblems,  etc.,  from  being  projected  beyond  the  face  of 
buildings,  and  in  evidence  of  the  strict  manner  in  which 
it  was  observed,  a  tea-dealer  on  Broadway,  an  English- 
man, displayed  a  carved  elephant  over  his  store,  with  the 
head  projecting  out  into  the  street;  he  was  summoned  to 
pay  the  fine  due  to  his  violation  and  also  to  remove  the 
figure.  He  refused  to  comply;  so  singular,  so  unpre- 
cedented, was  such  resistance  that  the  matter  became  of 
public  notoriety,  being  reported  and  animadverted  upon 
in  the  daily  papers.  This  man,  some  years  afterward, 
while  looking  out  of  a  front  window  of  the  American 
Hotel,  corner  of  Broadway  and  Barclay  Street,  saw 
a  woodcock  alight  in  the  Park.  He  took  his  gun, 
went  over  to  the  Park,  flushed  the  bird,  killed  it,  and 
blinded  an  eye  of  a  boy,  for  which  he  was  sued  for 
damage, 


PHILIP    HONE,    MAYOR  l8l 

In  winter  the  wearing  of  fur  caps  by  gentlemen  was  so 
general  that  felt  hats  were  exceptional;  even  the  ladies' 
hats  were  either  made  of  fur  or  trimmed  with  it.  Pass- 
ing up  Broadway  in  the  winter  of  1825-26,  at  the  north- 
ern corner  of  Vesey  Street,  I  witnessed  in  great  part 
the  following  scene.  At  this  period  and  for  many  years 
after,  until  the  street  was  sewered,  all  the  surface  water 
from  the  Park  ran  over  a  depression  across  Broadway, 
and  down  Vesey  Street,  and,  as  a  result,  the  gutter  dur- 
ing a  heavy  rain  or  thaw  would  be  knee-deep,  involving 
the  use  of  a  board  to  bridge  it.  At  this  time  the  gutter 
was  running  very  full  from  the  effects  of  a  thaw,  and  a 
man,  well-dressed  and  of  presentable  appearance,  had 
dragged  a  chinchilla  hat  from  off  the  head  of  a  negress, 
stamped  on  it,  and  then  threw  it  into  the  gutter,  where 
it  was  rapidly  borne  down  the  street.  Upon  being  ques- 
tioned why  he  had  done  it,  he  replied:  "  I  have  just  paid 
eighteen  dollars  for  a  chinchilla  hat  for  my  sister,  and 
1  don't  mean  that  any  nigger-wench  shall  wear  one  like 
it,  while  I  know  it." 

It  is  worth  noting  that  the  social  status  of  negroes,  at 
that  period  and  for  many  years  afterward,  was  very  dif- 
ferent from  that  of  the  present  time.  Negroes  were  not 
admitted  in  street  stages,  in  the  cabins  of  steamboats, 
theatres,  or  places  of  amusement;  and  in  churches 
only  in  pews  at  the  foot  of  the  aisles  which  were  assigned 
to  them.  Later,  when  street  railways  were  put  in 
operation,  the  Sixth  Avenue  line  designated  some  of  its 
cars  by  painting  conspicuously  on  the  sides,  "Colored 
Persons  allowed   in   this   Car." 

With  the  exception  of  the  negresses  of  the  Dowling, 
Jackson,  and  Dandy  Cox  class,  they  generally  wore  ban- 
danna kerchiefs  on  their  heads,  and  they  were  not 
called  ladies;  in  fact,  the  terms  ladies  and  gentlemen 
were  used  with  much  more  discrimination  than  later. 
The  appellation   of   sales-lady  to    a    sales-woman    would 


1 8: 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


have  been  held  as  a  joke,  and  would  have  been  resented 
by  the  recipient  of  the  term. 

New  York  Dispensary,  organized  1790,  incorporated 
1 798.  "  Having  omitted  any  previous  notice  of  this  institu- 
tion, I  avail  myself  of  a  recollection  of  a  visit  to  it  in  com- 
pany with  one  of  its  physicians.  It  was  and  is  located 
in  Centre,  corner  of  White  Street.  The  district  of  its 
operation  is  bounded  by  the  North  River,  a  line  through 
Spring  Street,  Broadway  to  Fourteenth  Street,  thence  to 
and  down  First  Avenue  to  Allen  and  Pike  streets  and 
the  East  River.  Its  object  is  the  furnishing  of  free 
medical,  surgical,  and  dental  aid,  vaccination,  and  the 
visiting  of  deserving  sick  in  their  homes  when  necessary. 

In  this  year  the  population  of  the  city  was  only  160,- 
086,  and  of  this  number  12,575  were  colored  and  sixteen 
of  them  were  entitled  to  vote.* 

*  The  first  Directory  was  published  by  David  Frank  in  1786,  but 
thirty-nine  years  previous  to  this,  and  contained  but  851  names,  of  which 
there  were  7  Smiths,  I  Kelly,  and  I  Brown. 


M'GOWAN'S    I'ASS,    1816.      ONE    HUNDRED    AND    SIXTH    STREET 
AND    SIXTH    AVENUE 


CHAPTER    IX 

1826. — PHILIP     HONE,      1825-26,     AND     WILLIAM    PAULDING, 
1826,    MAYORS 

This  year  was  one  of  much  commercial  distress,  the 
result  of  the  failure  of  several  spurious  banks  chartered 
by  the  State  of  New  Jersey.  Subsequently,  by  the 
failure  of  several  insurance  companies,  was  revealed 
an  amount  of  venality  that  affected  the  commercial 
character  of  the  city  at  home  and  abroad,  and  also  that 
of  a  number  of  persons  of  character  and  respectability; 
resulting  in  the  conviction  of  some  by  a  court  of  justice; 
some  of  them  being  sent  to  the  Penitentiary,  while 
others  appealed  to  the  Court  of  Errors,  and  escaped  by 
the  casting  vote  of  the  Lieutenant-governor. 

Jacob  Barker,  who  has  been  already  mentioned  (1822), 
in  consequence  of  his  connection  with  the  Exchange 
Bank  at  a  previous  date,  and  the  Washington  and 
Warren  at  a  very  late  period,  was  very  seriously  and 
generally  censured  in  the  public  prints,  and  some  years 
after  this  he  became  a  citizen  of  New  Orleans.  He 
resided  at  34  Beekman  Street,  a  neighborhood  which  at 
that  time  was  the  residence  of  many  of  our  well-known 
and  distinguished  citizens;  he  enjoyed  not  an  enviable 
reputation  for  his  shrewdness  in  business  matters  and 
responsibilities.  My  employer,  who  had  a  bill  against 
him  for  the  repairs  of  his  steamboat  Marco  Bozzaris, 
threatened  to  sue  him;  whereupon  he  said:  "It  is  not 
worth  while  for  you  to  go  to  the  expense,  when  you  can 
buy  a  judgment  against  me  of  any  amount  you  want  at 
a  very  low  rate."     At  this  time,  which   was  some  years 


184  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

prior  to  his  leaving  for  New  Orleans,  a  number  of 
brokers  publicly  advertised  or  proposed  to  raise  the 
amount  of  three  hundred  dollars,  to  give  him  as  an 
inducement  to  leave  the  city. 

Instances  of  Barker's  shrewdness  have  been  frequently 
repeated.  Thus,  when  a  boy,  he  engaged  to  carry  a 
trunk  for  a  passenger  to  a  neighboring  hotel,  but  finding 
it  too  heavy  for  him  to  handle  alone,  he  secured  the  ser- 
vices of  a  playmate  by  promising  that  if  he  received  two 
apples  for  the  work  he  would  give  him  one.  The  trunk 
was  transported,  and  Barker  received  a  sixpence,  where- 
upon, when  his  assistant  asked  for  his  half,  he  replied: 
"If  he  had  given  me  two  apples,  I  would  have  given  you 
one,  as  I  said;  but  as  he  did  not  give  me  apples,  I  have 
none  to  give  you."  On  another  occasion,  he  had  in- 
curred the  dislike  of  the  paying  teller  of  a  bank,  and  upon 
demanding  payment  in  specie  of  a  check  for  a  thousand 
dollars,  he  was  given  a  box  of  six-penny  pieces.  At  this 
time,  and  for  many  years  afterward,  in  making  a  deposit 
in  a  bank,  the  teller,  when  he  had  counted  the  amount, 
asked  the  depositor  the  amount  of  it,  and  if  his  account 
agreed,  well;  if  not,  a  new  count  was  made.  Upon 
receiving  this  box  Barker  caused  the  lid  to  be  raised, 
withdrew  a  few  pieces,  pocketed  them,  and  then  directed 
the  balance  to  be  passed  to  his  credit  as  a  deposit. 
Whereupon  the  teller  had  to  count  the  entire  contents 
of  the  box,  while  Barker  had  but  to  count  his  small 
portion  and  subtract  it  from  the  whole  in  order  to 
name  the   amount  of  the   deposit. 

When  in  the  shipping  business  he  was  at  one  time 
much  exercised  regarding  the  safety  of  a  particular 
vessel  on  a  distant  trading  voyage,  which  he  had  not 
insured.  He  one  day  applied  to  an  insurance  office  for 
a  very  full  amount  upon  her;  the  application  not  having 
been  made  "binding,"  he  did  not  ask  for  the  policy, 
but  a  few  days  afterward   he   hurriedly  appeared  at  the 


PHILIP    HONE,    MAYOR  185 

office  and  told  the  president  of  the  company  that  he 
need  not  sign  the  policy,  as  he  himself  "had  heard  of 
the  vessel."  Whereupon,  the  president  replied  that 
the  application  had  been  accepted  and  the  transaction 
completed,  retired  to  his  private  office,  and  returned 
with  the  policy  duly  signed,  which  Barker  pocketed. 
Soon  after  it  was  posted  that  the  vessel  had  been  wholly 
lost.  Barker  had  "heard  of  the  vessel,"  that  is,  he  had 
heard  of  her  loss.  It  was  reported  that  this  was  a  case 
of  "diamond  cut  diamond";  the  policy,  in  fact,  having 
not  been  signed  until  after  Barker  reported  hearing  from 
the  vessel;  the  president  intending  thus  to  secure  the 
premium  without  taking   any  risk. 

Mrs.  Hackett,  who  since  her  marriage  had  retired  from 
the  stage  for  a  period  of  seven  years,  was  induced  to 
return  to  it,  in  consequence  of  the  failure  of  her  hus- 
band, a  merchant  of  Utica,  and  appeared  on  January  27 
at  the  Park  Theatre.  March  1,  James  H.  Hackett  himself 
appeared  for  the  first  time  on  any  stage  at  the  Park,  and 
in  spite  of  the  nervousness  natural  under  the  circum- 
stances, his  success  warranted  his  adoption  of  the  profes- 
sion. He  made  several  profitable  English  tours  from 
1827  to  185 1.  In  1829  and  1830  he  was  connected  with 
the  Chatham  and  the  Bowery  managements  ;  in  1837 
he  managed  the  old  National  for  a  time  ;  still  later,  he 
was  concerned  in  the  Astor  Place  Opera  House.  He 
brought  out  Grisi  and  Mario  in  the  summer  of  1854. 
Hackett's  imitations  were  remarkable,  and  his  Dromio 
especially  with  Barnes)  and  Falstaff  were  wonderful. 
He  gained  a  great  deal  of  money,  which  he  used  first  to 
pay  all  his  trade  debts.      As  a  raconteur  he  was  inimitable. 

On  March  20  the  Common  Council  required  hacks  to 
have  lighted  lamps  at  night. 

March  30.  One  Hewlett,  a  colored  representative  of 
"Shakespeare's  proud  heroes,"  as  he  himself  termed  it, 
gave  illustrations  of  his  talent  at  it  Spruce  Street. 


l86  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

At  this  time  the  steamboat  Washington,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Captain  Elihu  S.  Bunker,  then  and  for  many- 
years  afterward  well  known,  commenced  running  to 
Providence.  John  C.  Symmes  returned  to  this  city  and 
delivered  a  series  of  lectures  in  support  of  his  theory  of  a 
passage  to  the  centre  of  the  earth,  at  the  North  Pole 
(see  1821). 

June  5.  Garden  Street  (Exchange  Place)  was  widened 
to  Broad.  The  Merchants'  Exchange  building  (the 
present  Custom  House),  was  in  course  of  erection.  The 
project  of  constructing  a  railroad  between  Schenectady 
and  Albany  was  entertained  and  advanced. 

June  12.  Hackett  appeared  at  the  Park  Theatre  for 
the  third  time  on  any  stage,  for  the  benefit  of  his  wife, 
as  Monsieur  Morbleu  in  "  Monsieur  Tonson." 

June  15  George  P.  Morris's  play  of  "Brier  Cliff"  was 
produced  at  the  Chatham  Garden  Theatre  and  achieved 
decided  success  and  long  popularity.  July  15  Thomas 
Placide  appeared  at  this  house  for  the  first  time  in  New 
York  ;  becoming  much  esteemed  as  a  capital  low  come- 
dian, though  of  less  talent  and  general  capacity  than  his 
brother  Henry.  He  very  soon  after  joined  the  Park 
company. 

June  23  Edwin  Forrest  appeared  for  the  first  time  in 
New  York,  at  the  Park  Theatre,  as  Othello.  Returning 
to  the  Park,  he  produced  "  Metamora  "  and  "  The  Gladia- 
tor," both  written  for  him.  He  was  twice  in  England. 
Forrest's  connection  with  the  Astor  Place  riot,  and  his 
divorce  suit,  injured  him  in  public  estimation  ;  yet  im- 
mediately after  the  verdict  in  the  latter  case,  being 
engaged  at  the  Broadway  Theatre,  he  opened  (in  January, 
1852)  to  an  enormous  house,  and  played  Damon  for  sixty- 
nine  consecutive  nights,  surpassing  all  records  of  tragic 
performances  then  existing. 

June  24,  St.  John's  Day,  was  laid  the  corner-stone  of 
Masonic    Hall,    on   the   site  of  314  and   316    Broadway,   a 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,    MAYOR 


I87 


Gothic  structure  of  imposing  appearance  among  buildings 

of  the   time.      It  contained  a  fine  salocfci   100   feet  long, 

50  feet  wide,  and  25  feet  high,  richly  decorated.      Here 

the  first  fair  of  the  American  Institute  was  held.      After 

the     alleged     murder 

of     Morgan    and     the 

organization     of     the 

Anti-masonic      party, 

it  was  named  Gothic 

Hall. 

Before  this  building 
was  completed,  Wil- 
liam Morgan  pub- 
lished his  book  pur- 
porting to  reveal  the 
secrets  of  Masonry, 
and  then  occurred 
his  hidden  and  un- 
explained disappear- 
ance. As  it  was 
alleged  that  he  had 
been  murdered  by 
Masons  and   his  body 

secreted,  the  charge  was  availed  of  by  some  politicians  in 
the  State,  and  an  Anti-masonic  party  was  organized,  which 
not  only  pervaded  this  State,  but  extended  to  contiguous 
States,  and  continued  active  for  some  time.  Thurlow 
Weed,  of  Albany,  took  a  leading  part  in  availing  himself  of 
the  excitement  against  Masons,  with  a  view  to  the  organi- 
zation of  an  opposition  to  the  Democrats.  Upon  being 
told  that  the  body  of  a  drowned  man  had  been  found  in 
Niagara  River  and  that  some  declared  it  to  be  that  of 
Morgan,  while  others  who  had  seen  it  denied  that  it  was 
his,  Weed  is  reported  to  have  said  :  "  It  is  a  good  enough 
Morgan  until  after  the  election."  In  1830  Francis  Gran- 
ger received  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  thousand  votes 


MASONIC   HALL.   1826 


l88  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

as  Anti-masonic  candidate  for  Governor  of  Xew  York.  In 
1832  William  WiH  was  Anti-masonic  candidate  for  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  and  obtained  the  electoral  votes 
of  Vermont,  a  State  which  was  for  several  years  wholly 
under  Anti-masonic  rule.  During  this  excitement  Masons 
were  held  to  be  so  obnoxious  to  propriety  and  good 
citizenship  that  the  order  was  measurably  paralyzed  ;  so 
much  so  that  some  lodges  closed  and  others  met  but 
rarely, — in  one  case  I  know  of,  the  lodge  withdrew  and 
donated  its  funds,  exceeding  six  thousand  dollars,  to  a 
charitable  institution, — but  in  time  the  opposition  lapsed 
and  Masonry  lifted  its  head,  and  was  soon  restored  to 
popularity  and  usefulness.  In  the  meanwhile  the  name 
of  the  hall  was  changed  to  Gothic  Hall. 

July  4  the  new  Lafayette  Theatre  was  opened. 
General  Sanford  built  during  this  summer  the  Mount 
Pitt  Circus,  in  Grand  Street,  opposite  East  Broadway, 
first  opened  in  November. 

On  arrival  of  the  Liverpool  packet  Silas  Richards,  her 
captain  reported  that  in  a  given  latitude  and  longitude, 
he,  with  his  passengers  and  crew,  saw  a  sea  serpent  on 
the  7th  of  June. 

July  18  the  project  of  cutting  a  canal  from  One  Hun- 
dred and  Eighth  Street  at  the  Harlem  River  to  Spuyten 
Duyvil  Creek,  was  first  entertained  and  discussed. 

September  11  the  Williamsburgh  Ferry  Co.  petitioned 
the  Common  Council  to  allow  them  to  replace  their 
horse-boat  with  a  steamboat,  as  a  steamboat  was  not 
provided  for  in  their  grant. 

September  19  a  family  from  the  South  arriving  here 
with  several  slaves  as  servants,  a  party  of  resident 
negroes  assembled  soon  after  and  endeavored  to  incite  a 
mob  for  the  purpose  of  freeing  the  slaves,  but  the  general 
populace  and  the  Courts  resisted  the  design. 

The  firm  of  Arthur  Tappan  &  Co.  was  the  largest 
silk  house  in  the  city.      Arthur  and  Lewis  Tappan  were 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,    MAYOR  189 

the  principal  originators  of  the  abolition  of  slavery  move- 
ment. Arthur  was  a  zealous  bigot  of  a  pronounced 
type.  He  issued  to  the  clerks  of  the  house,  and  sub- 
mitted to  all  applicants  for  employment,  the  follow- 
ing requirements  and  rules  for  their  government  and 
manner  of  living  :  "Total  abstinence  ;  not  to  visit  cer- 
tain proscribed  places  nor  remain  out  after  ten  o'clock  at 
night  ;  to  visit  a  theatre,  and  to  make  the  acquaintance  of 
an  actor  precluded  forgiveness;  to  attend  Divine  service, 
twice  on  Sundays,  and  on  every  Monday  morning  to  report 
church  attendance,  name  of  the  clergyman,  and  texts; 
prayer-meeting  twice  a  week,  and  must  belong  to  an 
anti-slavery  society  and  essay  to  make  converts  to  the 
cause." 

September  21  the  steamboat  New  Philadelphia  made  a 
passage  hence  to  Albany  in  the  unprecedented  time  of 
twelve  hours  and  fifteen  minutes,  including  all  her  eight 
landings.  The  Sun,  in  her  fast  passage,  came  from 
Albany,   or  down   the    river. 

September  27  Henry  Eckford,  George  W.  Browne, 
Mark  Spencer,  and  Jacob  Barker,  who  had  been  indicted 
for  a  conspiracy  upon  the  allegation  of  irregular  transac- 
tions in  the  operation  of  certain  banks  and  financial  com- 
panies, were  arraigned  in  the  Court  of  Oyer  and  Terminer 
held  by  Judge  Edwards  ;  they  were  prosecuted  by  Hugh 
Maxwell  and  Peter  Augustus  Jay,  and  defended  by 
Thomas  Addis  Emmet,  William  M.  Price,  Murray  Hoff- 
man, David  C.  Colden,  and  William  R.  Williams  ;  Mr. 
Barker  defending  his  own  case.  The  Court  forbade  the 
publication  of  the  current  testimony.  Stenography  was 
not  practised  then.  On  the  23d  of  the  following  month 
the  jury  was  discharged,  having  failed  to  agree  upon  a 
verdict  ;  their  decision  was  reported  to  be  seven  to  five 
for  a  verdict  of  guilty,  against  all  ;  and  eight  to  four  for 
all  but  Henry  Eckford. 

October  2  the  famous   English   tragedian,   W.    C.    Ma- 


I90  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

(ready,  made  his  American  debut  at  the  Park  Theatre,  as 
Virginius,  instantly  taking  a  very  high  place.  He  re- 
turned to  England  at  the  end  of  the  season,  but  was 
again  at  the  Park  in  1S43,  and  made  his  last  appearance 
there  in  the  autumn  of  1844. 

The  first  of  the  stone  buildings  of  the  General  Theo- 
logical Seminary  in  Chelsea  Square  (Ninth  and  Tenth 
avenues,  Twentieth  and  Twenty-first  streets)  was  com- 
pleted in  this  year,  the  corner-stone  having  been  laid  by 
Bishop  White,  July  28,  1825.  This  was  the  one  after- 
ward termed  the  East  Building,  removed  in  1892  to  make 
way  for  new  houses  for  the  professors.  The  present 
Dean  of  the  Seminary,  the  Very  Rev.  Dr.  E.  A.  Hoffman, 
writes  in  a  recent  article  published  in  the  Trinity  Record ; 
''The  site  was  then  far  removed  from  the  city  and 
extended  down  to  the  banks  of  the  Hudson,  being  sur- 
rounded on  the  other  sides  by  green  fields,  enclosed  by 
post-and-rail  fences.  The  grounds,  which  now  stand 
above  the  street,  were  then  an  apple  orchard,  which  was 
situated  near  the  corner  of  what  is  now  Ninth  Avenue 
and  Twenty-first  Street.  Professor  Clement  C.  Moore'.s 
country  residence — extending  from  Nineteenth  to  Twenty- 
fourth  Street  and  from  Eighth  Avenue  to  the  river,  and 
known  as  Chelsea — was  the  only  house  in  the  vicinity; 
and  with  this  exception,  save  a  few  straggling  houses  in 
the  village  of  Greenwich,  there  was  scarcely  a  good  brick 
house  to  be  found  between  it  and  Canal  Street.  The  only 
approach  to  the  grounds  was  through  a  narrow  road,  called 
Love  Lane,  running  easterly  to  the  Bloomingdale  Road, 
now  Broadway  ;  while  the  water  was  at  times  so  deep 
immediately  around  the  new  building  as  to  make  it  inac- 
cessible during  a  great  portion  of  the  winter,  except  on 
horseback  or  in  a  carriage."  This  fine  property  had  been 
given  to  the  Seminary  by  Clement  C.  Moore,  immor- 
talized among  children  by  his  verses,  "  Twas  the  Night 
before     Christmas";     being    a    part     of    his     patrimony, 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,    MAYOR  191 

formerly  attached  to  the  country-house  of  his  father,  the 
Rt.  Rev.  Benjamin  Moore,  Bishop  of  New  York. 

October  23  was  a  day  of  consequence  in  New  York's 
theatrical  annals,  for  it  saw  the  opening  of  the  New  York 
Theatre  ;  so  named  officially,  but  even  then  called  and 
afterward  universally  known  as  the  Bowery  Theatre,  con- 
structed on  the  site  of  the  Bull's  Head  (see  page  169). 
It  was  opened  with  "  The  Road  to  Ruin,"  and  the  farce  of 
"  Raising  the  Wind,"  under  the  management  of  George  H. 
Barrett.  Prices  of  admission  :  pit,  37^  cents  ;  boxes,  75 
cents ;  gallery,  25  cents.  This  was  the  first  theatre  in  Xew 
York  to  be  lighted  with  gas.  The  house  and  stage  were  the 
largest  in  America.  For  many  years  Thomas  S.  Hamblin 
was  the  lessee,  and  Gilfert  the  manager,  and  the  house 
acquired  great  fame.  Many  plays  of  note  were  here  first 
produced,  and  many  actors  and  actresses  who  became 
celebrated  first  appeared  here.  Here  Mme.  Malibran 
was  paid  six  hundred  dollars  for  a  performance — a  sum 
in  those  days  held  to  be  enormous — and   here  she  made 


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..... 


CLEMENT  C.   MOORE'S   RESIDENCE 


192  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

her  last  appearance  in  America,  on  October  28,  1827. 
The  Bowery  suffered  more  than  its  fair  share  of  the  fate 
that  besets  theatres,  being  four  times  destroyed  by  fire  ; 
viz.,  in   1828,  1836,  1838,  and  1845. 

In  December  of  this  year  it  was  first  thought  necessary 
to  pave  the  sidewalk  in  Canal  Street,  and  then  only  on 
one  side.  Waltzing  was  first  introduced  this  season  as 
an  element  of  evening  entertainment;  this  occurred  at 
the  house  in  Franklin  Street  of  a  member  of  a  leading 
French  shipping  firm.  I  was  present.  The  discussions 
and  declarations  on  the  propriety  of  such  a  lapse  from 
the  requirements  of  a  society  principally  (at  that  time) 
confined  to  the  descendants  of  Knickerbockers  and  Puri- 
tans, can  more  readily  be  inferred  than  portrayed.  Sed 
tempora  mutantur,  et  nos  mutamur  in  Mis. 

Lithography  was  first  introduced.  There  was  but  one 
boat  at  the  Paulus  Hook  (Jersey  City)  ferry.  It  was 
about  this  time  that  the  making  of  mint  juleps  was  intro- 
duced here  ;  they  were  a  great  novelty  and  were  indulged 
in  to  a  great  extent,  as  much  in  the  way  of  curiosity  as 
from  a  liking  for  them. 

Onesippe  Pacolin  commenced  business  at  No.  7  Wall 
Street,  and  subsequently  in  1840  removed  to  82  Broadway  ; 
he  was  the  first  strictly  French  boot  and  shoe  maker  of  a 
Parisian  stamp  that  opened  in  this  city,  and  so  superior 
was  the  material  he  used,  and  so  thorough  his  workman- 
ship, that  he  soon  took  the  lead  in  his  line,  and  in  a  com- 
paratively few  years  retired  with  an  independence. 

Mrs.  Knight,  from  London,  first  appeared  at  the  Park 
Theatre  in  this  year. 

Lafayette  Place  was  opened  on  the  4th  of  July  in  this 
year,  one  hundred  feet  in  width  and  through  Vauxhall 
Garden.  Bancker,  which  was  a  street  notorious  for  the 
objectionable  character  of  its  dwellers,  and  a  bye-word, 
was  changed  to  Madison  Street. 

Ilii-  State  prison  at  Christopher  Street  was  purchased 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,     MAYOR  I93 

of  the  State  by  the  Corporation  for  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars. 

The  public  schools  at  this  period  were  but  five  in 
number,  viz.  :  "Chatham  Street,"  near  Tryon  Row  ;  119 
"Henry,"  near  Pike  Street;  "Hudson,"  corner  Barrow 
Street;  "  Rivington,"  near  Pike  Street,  and  "Chrystie 
Street,"  Xo.  70. 

In  consequence  of  a  rupture  in  the  relations  of  the 
Professors  and  Trustees  of  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons,  a  second  college  was  organized,  termed  the 
Rutgers  Medical  College,  which  was  located  in  Duane 
near  to  Church  Street. 

Antoine  Malapar,  who  in  1825  had  been  a  bar-tender 
at  Castle  Garden,  associated  with  George  L.  Pride  and 
others,  advertised  the  formation  of  the  Marble  Manu- 
facturing Co.,  assumed  the  province  of  a  Bank  of  Deposit, 
and  issued  notes.  The  enterprise  was  viewed  with  such 
general  suspicion  that  it  existed  but  for  a  brief  period, 
failing  within  the  year,  and  in  its  failure  the  Franklin 
Bank,  the  Jefferson  Insurance  Co.,  and  a  bank  in  New 
Jersey  in  some  manner  were  involved,  and  they  also 
failed.  Malapar  had  descended  upon  the  public  in  great 
force,  and  for  a  time  was  a  noted  figure  in  Wall  Street, 
standing  prominently  on  the  steps  of  banks  and  the 
Exchange,  displaying  a  gold  pencil-case  wherewith  to 
note  his  operations — gold  pencils  were  scarce  in  those 
days.  For  a  year  or  more  his  local  renown  was  nearly 
equal  to  that  of  the  leading  speculators  of  the  day.  He, 
however,  gradually  disappeared  from  the  public  gaze  and 
was  quite  forgotten  until,  a  few  years  afterward,  it  was 
learned  that  he  had  died  in  the  Almshouse. 

At  this  period  watering-place  life  was  slightly  organized 
and  comparatively  restricted.  Nothing  was  known  of 
the  general  summer  exodus  that  in  these  days  divests 
the  finer  parts  of  the  town  of  almost  every  sign  of 
occupancy    from    May    till     November.     The    places    of 

7 


194  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

resort  for  the  moderate  vacations  indulged  in  at  the  time 
were  Ballston  Spa  (perhaps  Saratoga),  Lebanon  Springs, 
and  Trenton  Falls,  N.  Y.,  and  Schooley's  Mountain,  N.  J. 
Newport  was  a  quiet  town  at  which  the  steamboats  hence 
to  or  from  Providence  touched,  if  there  was  any  one  to 
land  or  to  be  taken  off.  Places  now  thronged  by  thou- 
sands for  the  sake  of  picturesque  scenery  were  then 
unvisited  ;  indeed  the  love  of  Nature  seems  to  be  a 
development  of  more  modern  civilization  and  modes  of 
thought.  The  Adirondacks  retained  their  native  wild- 
ness  ;  a  few  hardy  spirits  adventured  out  of  curiosity  or 
for  scientific  purposes  to  some  points  in  the  White  Moun- 
tain region,  and  the  reports  of  extreme  difficulty  and  con- 
siderable danger  in  ascending  Mount  Washington  were  apt 
to  deter  others  from  imitating  their  example.  It  was  not 
till  1840  that  Abel  Crawford,  first  of  all  men,  rode  a  horse 
to  the  foot  of  the  cone  or  dome  of  Mount  Washington. 

The  Almshouse  at  Bellevue  which  had  been  commenced 
in  1823  was  completed  in  this  year,  and  were  it  not  that 
it  would  awaken  mournful  recollections  among  families 
and  friends  of  unfortunates,  I  could  recite  a  number  of 
instances  of  meeting,  in  my  official  visits  to  Bellevue  and 
the  "Islands,"  schoolmates,  youthful  companions,  bright 
intellects  and  promising  men,  that  were  there  awaiting 
that  early  dissolution  ever  attendant  upon  debauched 
dissipation. 

New  York  Society  Library,  incorporated  1795,  was 
located  at  corner  of  Nassau  and  Cedar  streets. 

In  the  previous  year,  1819,  the  French  Benevolent 
Society  of  New  York  (Societd  Fran$aise  de  Bienfaisance  de 
New  York)  was  incorporated  ;  it  was  organized  in  1809. 
Its  objects,  to  assist  needy  French  people  with  medical 
advice,  medicines,  food,  clothing,  and  temporary  shelter. 

About  1823  there  was  a  young  man  in  the  city  who, 
with  his  associates,  amongst  some  other  festive  amuse- 
ments, would  occasionally,  in  the  early  hours  of  the  morn- 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,     MAYOR  195 

ing,  awake  or  terrorize  the  "  Dogberrys  "  of  the  city 
watch,  and  who  not  only  did  "those  things  he  ought  not 
to  have  done,"  but  "  left  undone  those  that  he  ought  to 
have  done,"  and  as  a  result,  he  was  very  generally  and 
well  known  and  quoted.  In  addition,  he  was  the  owner 
and  driver  of  a  very  fast  mare,  which,  for  exceptional 
speed,  his  daily  displays  of  her  in  Broadway,  of  her 
capacity  on  the  roads,  and  the  uniform  manner  in  which 
she,  even  at  night,  however  unguided,  would  return  with 
him  to  her  stable,  was  as  well  known  as  he  was. 

As  there  were  not  any  trotting  courses  or  associations, 
especial  trotting  wagons  or  sulkies,  or  timing  watches  at 
this  period,  her  speed  was  not  publicly  known;  my  im- 
pression is  that  it  was  about  a  mile  in  three  minutes, 
about  equal  to  that  of  the  "  Boston  Blue"  of  Mr.  Stack- 
pole,  who  claimed  that  in  1810  he  had  trotted  a  mile  in 
two  minutes  forty-eight  and  one-half  seconds,  and  in 
order  the  better  to  avail  himself  of  such  singular  and 
exceptional  speed,  he  was  taken  to  England. 

The  only  competitor  of  this  mare  was  a  horse  owned 
by  Wm.  Niblo  named  "  Dragon,"  and  on  an  afternoon, 
when  the  usual  number  of  gentlemen  who  had  driven  out 
of  town  to  Cato's  (Fifty-second  Street)  were  resting  their 
horses  and  refreshing  themselves,  the  owner  of  the  mare 
referred  to  entered,  and  in  a  discussion  that  ensued  re- 
garding her  points  he  was  asked  what  he  thought  of 
Billy  Xiblo's  "Dragon,"  to  which  he  vauntingly  replied, 
"  My  mare  can  show  him  her  tail  from  Brooklyn  to 
Jamaica."  A  lad  who  was  present  related  this  to  a  boarder 
of  Niblo,  who  immediately  challenged  the  mare,  which 
being  accepted,  the  match  came  off  from  the  turnpike 
gate  on  the  road  to  Jamaica,  about  where  Adams  Street 
and  Boerum  Place  met  it. 

Cato  drove  the  mare,  and  White  Howard,  a  keeper  of  a 
livery  stable  at  Brooklyn,  drove  "  Dragon,"  and  one  of 
the  conditions   of  the    match    was    that,  in    the   event   of 


196 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


either  horse  "  breaking  up,"  he  was  to  be  stopped  and 
turned  around;  this  was  not  an  exceptional  requirement, 
it  being  one  that  was  observed  both  here  and  in  England 
at  this  period.      "  Dragon  "  won. 

A  few  years  after  this  the  public  were  surprised  to 
learn  that  the  owner  of  the  mare  had  mended  his  ways, 
joined  the  Methodist  Church,  and  become  a  zealous  and 
vociferous  member. 

About  1824,  a  family  of  Charleston,  S.  C,  on  their  re- 
turn home,  were  driven  down  to  a  pier  south  of  Wall 
Street,  to  embark  in  a  vessel,  and  as  the  carriage  was 
fully  occupied  by  the  mother,  children,  and  maid,  the 
father  walked  clown.  It  occurred,  however,  that  the 
carriage  was  backed  against  the  string-piece  of  the  pier, 
and  from  its  insufficiency,  carriage  and  horses  fell  into 
the  water  and  the  entire  party  was  drowned.  I  saw  the 
carriage  and  horses  in  the  water. 

St.  Andrew's  Society  of  the  State  of  New  York,  founded 
in  1756,  and  incorporated  in  1826,  is  probably  the  oldest 
society  in  the  country.  Its  object,  the  promotion  of 
social  and  friendly  intercourse  among  Scotchmen  and 
their  descendants  in  this  city  and  its  vicinity,  and  the 
relief  of  such  as  may  be  indigent. 


CUV   FIRE-ENGINE 


CHAPTER    X 
1327.  —  WILLIAM     PAULDING,    MAYOR 

Although  I  have  very  distinct  recollections  of  the 
existence  of  the  churches  here  referred  to,  and  of  the 
removal  or  destruction  of  some  of  them,  I  am  unable  to 
give  the  exact  periods,  etc.,  in  all  cases,  and  in  conse- 
quence of  the  lapse  of  time  (seventy  years),  deficiency  in 
records,  and  the  change  of  ministers,  etc.,  I  have  had 
much  difficulty  in  presenting  this  record,  and  if  there  are 
errors,  they  are  not  with  me,  but  with  the  authorities  I 
have  referred  to. 

The  churches  and  houses  of  worship  therefore  in 
existence  at  this  period  which  I  recollect,  and  which 
have  been  either  removed  by  the  advance  of  population, 
sold,  or  burned,  etc.,  are  : 

Episcopal:  "  Trinity,"  1696,  Broadway,  facing  Wall 
Street;  1776,  burned;  1788,  rebuilt  and  furnished  with  a 
chime  of  bells;  1839,  taken  down;  rebuilt  and  opened 
May  21,  1846.  "  Eglise  du  St.  Esprit,"  Pine  near  Nassau 
Street;  1704,  French  Protestant;  1741,  repaired;  1780, 
destroyed;  1794,  rebuilt;  1803,  Protestant  Episcopal; 
1834,  sold,  then  built  corner  Leonard  and  Church 
streets  ;  now  in  Twenty-second  Street,  between  Fifth  and 
Sixth  avenues.  "St.  George's,"  1752,  organized;  181 1, 
in  Beekman  Street;  1814,  burned;  1816,  rebuilt;  1845,  in 
Rutherford  Place.  "St.  Mark's,"  1791,  Second  Avenue 
and  Tenth  Street;  1799,  rebuilt;  1829,  consecrated. 
"Christ,"     1794,    49  Ann,     near     Nassau     Street;     1823, 


98 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


ST.   THOMAS'S  CHURCH,   CORNER  OF  BROADWAY   AND   HOUSTON  STREET 


Anthony  (Worth)  Street,  on  site  of  Theatre  near  Broad- 
way; 1854,  West  Eighteenth  Street;  1859,  at  Fifth  Avenue 
and  Thirty-fifth  Street;  1891  burned;  now  on  Boulevard 
at  Seventy-first  Street.  At  the  time  this  church  moved  to 
Anthony  Street,  a  part  of  the  congregation  objected  to  the 
move  and  obtaining  permission  of  the  old  church,  organized 
a  parish  and  named  it  "  Christ  Church  in  Ann  Street," 
but  it  lived  for  a  brief  period  and  in  1826  the  building 
was  sold  to  Roman  Catholics,  as  below  ;  1834,  burned. 
"  St.  Thomas's,"  1823,  corner  of  Houston  Street  and 
Broadway;  1870,  corner  Fifth  Avenue  and  Fifty-third 
Street.  ''All  Saints,"  1825,  chapel  on  Grand,  corner 
Columbia  Street;  1828,  church  on  Henry,  corner  of 
Scammel  Street.  "  St.  Philip's  "  (colored),  1805,  building 
in  William  Street;  then  Cliff,  between  Ferry  and  Beekman 
streets;   then  Rose,  near  Pearl   Street,  site  obliterated  by 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,    MAYOR  199 

opening  of  South  William,  Duane,  and  Chambers  streets; 
1818,  organized  in  accordance  with  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church ;  then  31  Collect  (Centre)  Street,  between  Anthony 
and  Leonard  streets;  1821,  burned;  1822,  rebuilt;  1856, 
sold;  1857,  No.  200  Mulberry,  near  Bleecker  Street; 
and  1886,  West  Twenty-fifth  Street,  near  Seventh  Ave- 
nue. "  St.  Stephen's,"  1806,  corner  Broome  and  First 
(Chrystie)  streets,  then  consolidated  with  the  "  Advent  " 
at  Forty-sixth  Street,  near  Sixth  Avenue.  "Grace," 
1808,  corner  Broadway  and  Rector  Street;  1846,  Broad- 
way and  Tenth  Street.  "St.  Michael's,"  1807,  Bloom- 
ingdale  (Harsenville);  1810,  at  Sixty-ninth  Street,  between 
Third  and  Fourth  avenues;  1869,  Seventy-second  Street, 
between  Lexington  and  Third  avenues,  and  1884,  corner 
Madison  Avenue  and  Seventy-first  Street;  1811,  "St. 
James's  "  was  added  to  "St.  Michael's,"  and  they  were 
placed  under  one  charge;  1853,  burned;  1891,  Ninety- 
ninth  Street  and  Amsterdam  Avenue.  "Zion,"  1810, 
corner  of  Mott  and  Cross  (Park)  streets,  formerly 
Lutheran;  built  in  1801;  18 15,  burned;  1819,  recon- 
structed; 1853,  sold  to  Roman  Catholics,  and  1854, 
corner  Madison  Avenue  and  Thirty-eighth  Street, 
now  consolidated  with  "  St.  Timothy,"  332  West  Fifty- 
seventh  Street  ;  1891,  sold  to  Dutch  Reformed.  "  St. 
Mary's,"  1820,  Manhattanville  was  added,  1823;  and  in 
1825,  "St.  Ann's"  at  Fort  Washington  was  also  added, 
now  extinct.  "  St.  Luke's,"  1822,  Hudson,  near  Chris- 
topher Street,  now  a  chapel;  1892,  corner  Convent 
Avenue  and  One  Hundred  and  Forty-first  Street. 

The  Episcopal  Charity  School,  "  Trinity,"  was  founded 
in  1704. 


Many  Episcopal  churches  at  this  time  were  without  chancels  proper. 
There  was  an  altar  at  the  rear,  with  railings  around  it,  where  children 
were  catechised,  confirmation  was  administered,  and  the  Communion 
received.      In  front  was  the  pulpit,  surmounting  a  column,  in  front  of 


200  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

which  was  the  reading  desk,  which  effectually  hid  the  altar  from  the 
view  of  the  congregation. 

In  the  lower  end  there  were  two  or  three  pews  assigned  to  colored 
persons,  and  the  doors  were  lettered  "  For  B  men." 

In  1793  one  hundred  thousand  pounds  was  received  by  the  Corpora- 
tion of  Trinity  Church,  from  the  estate  of  John  Leake,  deceased,  and 
from  that  time  the  interest  of  this  sum  has  been  expended  in  the  purchase 
of  bread  to  be  distributed  amongst  the  poor  of  the  parish. 

The  donation  is  termed  "  The  Leake  Dole  of  bread." 

Roman  Catholic:  "St.  Peter's,"  formed,  1783;  opened 
1786,  corner  of  Barclay  and  Church  streets;  1838,  rebuilt. 
"St.  Patrick's,"  1815,  corner  of  Mott  and  Prince  streets  ; 
later  lengthened.  "  St.  Mary's,"  1826,  formerly  Seventh 
Presbyterian,  in  Sheriff,  between  Broome  and  Delancey 
streets,  first  Roman  Catholic  bell  in  the  city  ;  1831, 
burned  by  a  burglar;  1833,  Grand,  corner  of  Ridge  Street. 
"Christ,"  purchased  from  Episcopalians  1827,  49  Ann, 
near  Nassau  Street  ;  1834,  became  unsafe  for  occupation 
and  taken  down;   1835,  James  Street. 

Reformed  Dutch:  "Harlem,"  1686,  now  :'  First," 
on  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third  Street  and  Third 
Avenue. 

Reformed  Protestant  Dutch  :  1824,  "King"  Street,  near 
MacDougal  Street,  seceded  and  called  itself  "The  True 
Reformed  Dutch  Church,"  and  continued  as  such  until  it 
connected  itself  with  a  Western  secession  known  as  "The 
Christian  Reformed  Church";  removed  to  Perry  Street. 
"Broome  Street,"  1824,  corner  of  Broome  and  Greene 
streets;  1860,^)307  West  Thirty-fourth  Street  near  Eighth 
Avenue;  1895,  sold  to  the  Collegiate  Church.  "  Houston 
Street,"  1825,  corner  of  Greene;  1854,  Seventh  Avenue, 
near  Thirteenth  Street;  1859,  disbanded  and  building 
sold.  "Manhattan,"  1826,  Third  Street  near  Avenue  I); 
1872,    sold.       "  Duane    Street"    (colored),    1826,    school- 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,    MAYOR  201 

room  near  Hudson  Street;   1828,  disbanded.      "Orchard 
Street/'  1826,  near  Broome  Street;    1833,  sold. 

Congregational :  1804,  "Warren  Street,"  near  Broad- 
way; 1809,  Elizabeth,  between  Walker  and  Hester  streets, 
as  Presbyterian;  1814,  sold  to  "Asbury,"  colored 
Methodists,  burned.  "Independent,"  1818,  rear  of 
488  Pearl  Street;  1820,  Vandewater  Street;  1821,  to 
Congregational.  "Broadway,"  1817,  corner  of  Anthony 
Street,  dissolved.  "  Providence  Chapel,"  1819,  Hall, 
corner  of  Chapel  (West  Broadway)  and  Provost  (Frank- 
lin) Street;  1823,  49  Thompson,  near  Broome  Street. 
"  Broome  Street,"  1817,  Rose  Street;  1820,  Broome 
Street;  1822,  dissolved.  "Welsh,"  1825,  Mulberry 
Street,  then  Broome,  near  Bowery;  1833,  Presbyterian. 
"Third,"  1826,  Third  Street  near  Avenue  D;  1827,  sold 
to  "Asbury,"  colored  Methodists. 

German  Reformed :  "First"  (Calvinistic),  organized 
1758,  32  Nassau,  between  John  Street  and  Maiden  Lane; 
1765,  rebuilt;  1832,  sold;  1823,  64-66  Forsyth  Street, 
sold;  1834,  decreed  by  the  Vice-Chancellor  to  the  Lu- 
therans; 1844,  decision  reversed  by  Chancellor;  1844, 
decision  reversed  again  by  Court  of  Errors;  1861,  Nor- 
folk, between  Stanton  and  Rivington  streets.  "Green- 
wich Street,"  1803,  Herring,  corner  Amos  and  Charles 
streets;  1826,  sold  to  Presbyterians;  and  1827,  removed 
to  Waverly  Place  near  Grove  Street;  1861,  Forty-sixth 
Street,  disbanded  and  sold  to  Episcopalians.  "  Blooming- 
dale  "  (Harsenville);  1805,  Broadway,  near  Sixty-eighth 
Street;  1814,  rebuilt;  1832,  burned;  now  Boulevard, 
corner  of  Sixty-eighth  Street.  "Northwest,"  1808, 
Franklin  Street,  between  Church  and  Chapel  (West 
Broadway);  1854,  West  Twenty-third  Street;  1871,  Madi- 
son Avenue  and  Fifty-eighth  Street.  "  Market  Street," 
1810,  corner  of  Henry  Street;  1869,  dissolved.  "  Vande- 
water Street,"  1820,  formerly  Congregational. 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


Lutheran:  "First,"  1660,  in  Fort  Amsterdam. 
"Trinity,"  1671,  log  church,  southwest  corner  of  Broad- 
way and  Rector 
Street;  1741,  rebuilt; 
burned  in  the  great 
fire  in  1776;  1805, 
ground  sold  to  Grace 
Episcopal  Church; 
1744,  congregation 
divided,  part  to  an 
old  brewery  in  Skin- 
ner Road  (Cliff 
Street);  1767,  re- 
united as  "Christ" 
or  "Old  Swamp 
Church,"  corner  of 
Frankfort  and  Will- 
iam streets  (see  page 
100),  sold  to  colored 
Presbyterians  ;  1822, 
removed  to  "St. 
Matthew's"  (Evan- 
gelical) Lutheran, 
Walker  Street,  be- 
tween Broadway  and 
Elm  Street,  now  cor- 
ner of  Broome  and 
Elizabeth  streets  ; 
1826,  sold.  "St. 
James,"  1827,  Orange 
Street,  between  Hes- 
ter and  Grand  streets, 
building  donated  by 
Peter  Lorillard;  abandoned,  1848;  then  Mulberry,  near 
Grand  Street;  1857,  Fifteenth  Street,  opposite  Stuy- 
vesant  Square,  now  (1895)  southwest  corner  of  Madison 


PULPIT  IN  ST.    PAUL'S  CHURCH 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,    MAYOR  203 

Avenue  and  Seventy-third  Street.  "Zion,"  1797,  corner 
of  Mott  and  Cross  (Park)  streets;  1801, consecrated;  1810, 
changed  to  "Zion  Episcopal." 

The  trustees  of  the  Lutheran  "Old  Swamp  Church" 
in  its  early  days  were  offered  a  plot  of  ground  of  about 
six  acres  in  Canal  Street  near  Broadway,  a  part  of  the 
Lispenard  Meadows;  and  the  Board  passed  the  following 
resolution  :  "  That  it  was  inexpedient  to  accept  the  gift, 
inasmuch  as  the  land  was  not  worth  fencing  in." 

Reformed  Dutch  {Collegiate)  Church:  Organized,  1628; 
chartered,  1696;  site  of  first  church,  1633,  on  Pearl  Street 
(now  No.  33);  1642,  the  "  Church  in  the  Fort,"  known 
as  "  St.  Nicholas'  Church. "  "  South  Church,"  1693,  Gar- 
den Alley  (Garden  Street)  Exchange  Place;  1766,  en- 
larged; 1807,  rebuilt;  1812,  independent  of  Collegiate 
Church;  1835,  burned  in  the  great  fire,  congregation 
divided,  part  going  to  Washington  Square;  1875,  former 
church  disbanded  and  sold  to  Methodists;  the  other  part 
built  in  Murray  Street;  1849,  corner  of  Fifth  Avenue  and 
Twenty-first  Street;  1890,  purchased  "Zion  Episcopal 
Church,"  Madison  Avenue  and  Thirty-eighth  Street. 
"Middle,"  1729,  Nassau,  between  Cedar  and  Liberty 
streets;  1764,  renewed;  1839,  Lafayette  Place;  1892, 
Second  Avenue  and  Seventh  Street;  1844,  old  building  on 
Nassau  Street,  rented  for  United  States  Post  Office; 
1861,  sold.  "North,"  1769,  William  between  Fulton  and 
Ann  streets;   1875,  s^te  leased  and  building  removed. 

In  Garden  Street  (Exchange  Place)  there  was  a  free 
school  organized  in  1663,  and  in  1784  the  church  built  one 
opposite  to  it,  which  was  removed  to  Duane  Street  and 
in  1835  to  Canal,  corner  of  Elm  Street;  1847  on  Fourth 
Street,  and  1863  its  two  hundredth  anniversary  was  held. 

Presbyterian:  "First,"  City  Hall,  1716,  Wall  Street, 
near    Broadway;     1748,    enlarged  ;     1810,    rebuilt;     1834, 


204  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

burned  and  rebuilt;  1844,  sold;  1846,  Fifth  Avenue, 
between  Eleventh  and  Twelfth  streets.  "  Scotch,"  organ- 
ized, 1756;  Cedar  Street  No.  33,  1837,  corner  of  Crosby 
and  Grand  streets;  1853,  on  West  Fourteenth  Street, 
corner  Sixth  Avenue;  now  (1895),  Ninety-fifth  and 
Ninety-sixth  streets,  and  Central  Park  West.  "  Brick,"  * 
1768,  Chatham  (Park  Row)  Street;  1854,  sold;  1858, 
corner  of  Fifth  Avenue  and  Thirty-seventh  Street. 
"  First  Associate  Presbyterian,"  1787,  "Nassau  Street," 
near  Maiden  Lane;  1803,  rebuilt;  1824,  sold  to  Baptists, 
I^53>  "  Grand  Street,"  corner  Grand  and  Mercer  streets; 
1867,  "  Fourth,"  Thirty-fourth  Street,  between  Sixth  and 
Seventh  avenues;  1893,  Ninety-first  Street  and  West  End 
Avenue.  "Rutgers  Street,"  1797,  established;  1798, 
corner  of  Henry  Street;  1842, rebuilt;  1870,  "Madison  Ave- 
nue "  (by  James  Lenox),  corner  of  Twenty-ninth  Street, 
united  with  it  as  "Rutgers  Church,"  built  and  sold  in 
1888;  now  corner  of  Boulevard  and  Seventy-third  Street. 
"Pearl  Street"  (Associate),  1797,  No.  550  Magazine 
(Pearl),  between  Elm  Street  and  Broadway;  1837,  burned 
and  rebuilt.  "Chambers  Street,"  1801,  opposite  New 
York  Institution,  near  Broadway;  1818,  rebuilt;  1826,  con- 
gregation divided,  one  part  Sixth  Street  (Waverly  Place); 
1835,  Chambers  Street,  sold  and  removed  to  Prince, 
corner  of  Marion  Street  ;  1849,  sold  and  rebuilt  in 
Twelfth  Street  near  Sixth  Avenue.  "Cedar  Street" 
(Associate),  1808,  between  William  and  Nassau  streets  ; 
1834,  sold;  1836,  corner  of  Duane  and  Church  streets,  as 
"  Duane  Street   Church";     1852,    corner   of    Nineteenth 

*  In  1811,  on  the  occurrence  of  the  great  fire  in  Chatham  Street,  a 
flake  from  it  rested  on  the  steeple  of  this  church,  which  becoming  in- 
flamed, a  sailor  from  the  crowd  of  spectators  below  ascended  the  steeple, 
extinguished  the  lire,  and,  when  he  descended,  declined  to  give  his  name. 
The  plot  on  which  this  church  was  located  consisted  of  about  three- 
fourths  of  an  acre,  sold  in  1854  for  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  thou- 
sand dollars,  and  in  one  year  after  for  three  hundred  and  fifty  thousand. 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,    MAYOR 


205 


Street  ;  and  1875,  corner  of  Fifty-fifth  Street  and  Fifth 
Avenue.  "Canal  Street"  (Irish),  1809,  Orange,  near 
Grand  Street;  1825,  Canal  and  Greene  streets.  "Spring 
Street"  (Old),  181 1,  near  Varick  Street;  1825,  removed 
to  and  known  as  "  Laight  Street,"  corner  of  Varick 
Street;  1843,  dissolved,  and  sold  to  Baptists.  "Cedar 
Street,"  near  Broadway,  1812;  then  (Scotch  Associate), 
No.  37  Murray  Street,  opposite  Columbia  College;  1841, 
taken  down  and  rebuilt  in  Eighth  Street,  opposite  Lafay- 
ette Place;  vacated  and  sold.  "  Seventh  Church,"  18 18, 
organized  in  house,  Grand,  near  Lewis  Street;  1819, 
Sheriff,  between  Broome  and  Delancey  streets  ;  1826,  sold 
to  Roman  Catholics  ;  1827,  corner  of  Broome  and  Ridge 
streets;  1831,  burned  and  rebuilt.  "Allen  Street,"  1820, 
Bancker  (Madison)  Street  ;  1823,  removed  to  Allen, 
corner  of  Grand  Street  ;  1832,  rebuilt  ;  now  Forsyth 
Street.  "Eighth,"  organized  1819;  1821,  Christopher, 
near  Asylum  Street  ;    1841,  sold  to  St.  Matthew's  ;    1842, 


SOUTH   CHURCH,"   GARDEN  STREET.      BURNED   IN   THE   FIRE   OF   1835 


206  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

disbanded.  "  Vandewater  Street,"  1821,  near  Frankfort 
Street;  1823,  withdrawn  from  the  Presbytery;  1825,  re- 
vived ;  1825,  dissolved.  "Central,"  1822,  Broome,  near 
Elm  Street,  now  West  Fifty-seventh  Street,  near  Seventh 
Avenue.  "Village,"  1822,  near  North  River  and  Le  Roy 
Street,  then  as  Tabernacle  Church  ;  1830,  disbanded. 
"Bowery,"  1822;  1861,  sold  and  dissolved.  "Provost 
Street,"  1823,  near  Chapel  Street  (West  Broadway);  1825, 
sold  and  dissolved.  "  Bleecker  Street,"  1825,  near  Broad- 
way, then  Fourth  Avenue,  corner  Twenty-second  Street. 
"  Spring  Street,"  Scotch  (new),  1825,  Spring,  near  Varick 
Street.  "Welsh  "  (Calvinistic),  1833,  Broome  Street,  near 
Bowery,  now  225  East  Thirteenth  Street.  "First"  (col- 
ored), 1824,  Elm,  near  Canal  Street;  1825,  sold  to  Jews' 
synagogue  (Benai  Jeshurun);  1830,  purchased  the  Swamp 
Church,  corner  Frankfort  and  William  streets. 

Methodist  Episcopal :  1767,  Rigging  loft  in  Horse  and 
Cart  Street  (120  William),  between  John  and  Fair 
(Fulton)  streets;  1768-70,  "Wesley  Chapel"  or  "John 
Street,"  between  Nassau  and  William  streets  (the  first 
Methodist  church  in  America);  1817-18,  rebuilt;  1841,  re- 
built smaller.  1789,  "Forsyth  Street"  ("Second  Street  " 
and  "Bowery")  in  Second  (Forsyth),  near  Division 
Street;  1833,  rebuilt;  1873,  altered  and  cut  down. 
1797,  "  Duane  Street"  ("  North  Church,"  "North  River 
Church,"  and  "Hudson  Church"),  Barley  (Duane),  be- 
tween Hudson  and  Greenwich  streets;  abandoned  and 
sold;  "  Duane  Church,"  its  successor,  1863,  Hudson, 
near  Spring  Street.  "Seventh  Street"  ("Two-Mile 
Stone,"  "Bowery  Village  "),  a  school  house  and  room; 
1795,  Nicholas  William,  between  Seventh  and  Eighth 
streets  and  Second  and  Third  avenues  ;  1817,  church 
built  beside  it  with  part  of  material  of  first  church  in 
John  Street;  1830,  removed;  1836-37,  Seventh  Street, 
between    Second  and    Third    avenues.       1810,   "  Bedford 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,    MAYOR  207 


Street "  ("  Greenwich  Village"),  corner  of  Bedford  and 
Morton  streets;  1830,  enlarged;  1840,  new  building.  1810- 
11,  "Allen  Street  "  ("  Fourth  Street,")  between  Delancey 
and  Rivington  streets;  1836-37,  rebuilt;  1888,  removed 
to  Rivington  between  Ludlow  and  Orchard  streets,  and 
named  "Allen  Street  Memorial";  original  church  sold 
to  and  refitted  by  a  Jewish  synagogue.  1819,  "Willett 
Street,"  occupied  a  mission  house  leased  of  Presbyteri- 
ans, Broome,  near  Lewis  Street;  1826,  Willett  Street. 
1820,  "The  Methodist  Society"  (Stillwellite),  school' 
room  in  Chrystie  Street,  then  church  in  Chrystie, 
between  Pump  (Canal)  and  Hester  streets;  eventually 
dissolved.  1824,  a  second  church  in  "Sullivan  Street" 
(Stillwellite),  near  Spring  Street;  1830,  joined  the 
Methodist  Protestant  Church;  1839,  sold  and  rebuilt  in 
same  street,  near  Bleecker;  1842,  joined  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  as  "Sullivan  Street";  i860,  "Wash- 
ington Square,"  Fourth  Street  between  Sixth  Avenue 
and  Washington  Square. 

African  Methodist  Episcopal :  "Zion,"i796,  occupied  a 
house  in  Cross  (Park),  between  Mulberry  and  Orange 
(Baxter)  streets;  1800,  organized,  then  at  corner  of 
Church  and  Leonard  streets;  1820,  rebuilt;  1839,  burned; 
1840,  rebuilt;  1864,  removed  to  Bleecker,  corner  Tenth 
Street;  1813,  a  branch  formed  in  Elizabeth  near  Pump 
(Canal)  Street;  1820,  rejoined;  1822,  again  separated. 
"Asbury,"  divided  and  known  as  "  Asbury  Church"; 
1820,  united  with  "  Zion  ";  1823,  Elizabeth  Street  church 
burned;  then  "Broadway  Tabernacle,"  then  hall  corner 
of  Elizabeth  and  Grand  streets,  then  in  hall  on  Howard 
Street,  then  Fourth  Street,  then  Third  Street  near  Ave- 
nue 1).  1820,  "  Mott  Street"  near  Walker  Street;  then 
burned;   then  Elizabeth  Street;    1835,  Second  Street. 

U?iitarian  :  "  First  Congregational,"  1821,  Chambers, 
near  Church  Street;    1843,   sold;    now  "All  Souls,"  cor- 


208  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

ner  Twentieth  Street  and  Fourth  Avenue.  "  Church  of 
Divine  Unity,"  1845,  Broadway,  between  Prince  and 
Spring  streets.  "  Church  of  the  Messiah,"  a  colony  from 
the  First  Congregational,  1826,  Prince,  corner  Mercer 
Street;  1837,  burned;  1839,  Broadway,  near  Waverly 
Place,  then  1865  sold;  1867,  Park  Avenue  and  East 
Thirty-fourth  Street. 

Baptist :  1724,  a  church  organized,  then  a  house  on 
Golden  Hill  (Gold  and  John  streets);  1732,  dissolved  and 
church  sold.  "First,"  1760,  29  Gold,  between  Fulton 
and  John  streets;  1802,  rebuilt;  1840,  sold  and  taken  down; 
1841,  Broome,  corner  of  Elizabeth  Street.  "Second," 
1770,  Rose  Street;  1791,  then  divided  as  "The  Bethel 
Church,"  and  the  Rose  Street  party  as  the  "The  Bap- 
tist Church  in  Fayette  (1821,  Oliver)  Street."  1806,  the 
Rose  Street  congregation  built  in  Broome,  near  the  Bow- 
ery; 1820,  Delancey,  corner  of  Chrystie  Street  ;  1830, 
divided,  one  party  going  to  Mott,  then  to  Chrystie  Street; 
the  other  retained  the  church  in  Delancey  Street,  which 
was  abandoned,  and  ultimately  sold  for  a  stable;  and  the 
congregation  removed  to  "The  Sixth  Street."  "Oliver 
Street  Church,"  1795,  corner  of  Henry  Street;  1800,  re- 
built; 1819,  rebuilt;  1843,  burned  and  rebuilt.  "Scotch 
Baptist,"  1803,  building  in  Greenwich  Street;  divided  and 
part  termed  themselves  the  "  Ebenezer  Baptists"; 
1806,  Anthony,  near  Chapel  Street,  sold;  then  in  York 
Street,  and  known  as  "York  Street  Church";  1825, 
hall,  corner  of  Broadway  and  Reade  Street;  then  hall 
in  Canal,  near  Vandam  Street,  then  Houston  Street, 
and  then  Broadway,  near  Bleecker  Street.  "  Welsh 
Bethlehem,"  1807,  68  Mott  Street,  between  Bayard 
and  Pump  (Canal)  Street;  1813,  dissolved.  "North 
Church,"  1809,  Vandam  near  Varick  Street;  1818,  name 
of  "  Beriah  "  added;  1819,  burned;  1820,  rebuilt  on 
Macdougal,    near  Vandam  Street.      "  Mulberry   Street/" 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,    MAYOR 


209 


near  Chatham,  1809;  organized  as  "James  Street 
Church,"  1838;  dissolved,  1838;  then  as  the  "Taber- 
nacle Baptist  Church,"  1853,  a  part  of  congregation 
purchased  Laight  Street  Church,  corner  of  Varick,  of 
the  Presbyterians.      "  Zoar  "  Church,  1811,  Rose  Street; 


REFORMED   DUTCH    "MIDDLE,"   CEDAR  STREET 


1812,  dissolved.  "South  Baptist,"  organized  1822, 
in  German  church  in  Nassau  Street,  near  Maiden  Lane; 
1724,  Nassau,  between  Fulton  and  John  streets,  built 
by  Presbyterians  in  1803.  "  Union  Church,"  1823, 
Bowery,  opposite  Spring  Street;  183 1,  burned,  then 
Mott  above  Spring  Street;  1834,  Stanton  Street,  near 
Forsyth,     and     known     as     "Stanton     Street    Church." 


2IO  REMINISCENCES    OF    AX    OCTOGENARIAN 

"Provost  (Franklin)  Street,"  near  Chapel  Street  (West 
Broadway);  1825,  bought  by  Communion  Baptists; 
1832,  leased,  and  1838,  sold  to  Reformed  Pres- 
byterians. "  Ebenezer  Baptist,"  organized  1825;  1838, 
Avenue  A,  near  Second  Street.  "Abyssinian"  (col- 
ored), 1809,  Ebenezer,  or  York  Street,  Church  Building, 
44  Anthony,  near  Chapel  Street,  sold  at  auction  and 
regained. 

Friends'  Meeting  Houses:  "Liberty  Street,"  1703, 
Crown  (Little  Greene)  Street,  now  Liberty  Place;  1794, 
rebuilt  on  Liberty  Street;  1802,  rebuilt;  1826,  sold  to 
Grant  Thorburn,  the  seedsman.  1775,  "Pearl  Street," 
near  Franklin  Square;  1824,  taken  down;  1826,  removed 
to  "  Rose  Street,"  near  Pearl;  then,  i860,  East  Sixteenth 
Street  and  Rutherford  Place.  "  Hester  Street,"  1819, 
corner  Elizabeth  Street;  1861,  sold  to  New  York  Gas 
Light  Co.,  and,  1884,  transferred  to  Consolidated  Gas 
Co.  "United  Christian  Friends,"  or  "The  Society  of 
Christian  Friends,"  Prince,  near  Orange  Street. 

Universalist :  "First,"  1796,  Vandewater  Street,  near 
Frankfort;  1803,  purchased  from  the  Lutherans,  No.  488 
Magazine  (Pearl)  near  Cross  Street;  sold  to  "  Zion  " 
(colored)  Presbyterian,  prior  to  1810,  corner  Augustus 
(City  Hall  Place)  and  Duane  streets;  1837,  rented  to 
Welsh  Baptists,  then  to  a  hall  in  Forsyth  Street,  then 
the  church  sold  to  Roman  Catholics  and  society  dis- 
solved. "Second,"  1824,  Prince,  corner  of  Marion 
Street;   1830,  sold  to  Presbyterians. 

Mariners  :  1819,  Roosevelt  Street,  No.  76;  then,  1854, 
Catherine  Street,  No.  46. 

New  Jerusalem  :  "  Swedenborgian,"  Broadway,  near 
Rector  Street;    18 16,  Broadway  near  Duane  Street,  then, 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,    MAYOR  211 

1821,  in  Pearl,  near  Augustus  (City  Hall  Place)  Street; 
1845,  sold  to  Zion  Baptists;  then  in  various  places  and 
then  Eighth  Street,  near  Fourth  Avenue;  now,  1859, 
East  Thirty-fifth  Street,  near  Park  Avenue. 

Moravian:  "First,"  1739,  organized;  1751,  108  Fair 
(Fulton)  Street;  1752,  dedicated;  1829,  rebuilt;  1843,  sold; 
1845,  southwest  corner  Houston  and  Mott  streets;  1865, 
sold;  1869,  corner  of  Lexington  Avenue  and  Thirtieth 
Street,  purchased  from  the  Episcopalians  (which  had 
been  erected  by  the  Baptists,  in  about  1825).  "United 
Christian  Brethren,"  Third,  near  Lewis  Street. 

Jews'  Synagogue :  Prior  to  1682  "Shearith  Israel," 
19  Mill  (South  William)  Street;  1706,  removed;  1729, 
rebuilt;  1818,  rebuilt;  1834,  Crosby,  near  Spring  Street; 
i860,  Nineteenth  Street,  near  Fifth  Avenue.  "Benai 
Jeshurun,"  1824,  Greene  Street. 

It  was  reported  that  the  "Holy  Light"  in  this  syna- 
gogue had  by  some  accident  or  unavoidable  occurrence 
been  extinguished,  and  as  a  consequence  it  became 
necessary  to  obtain  a  like  light  from  the  nearest  syna- 
gogue, and  one  was  received  from  Philadelphia. 

This  synagogue  possesses  four  graveyards,  the  con- 
tinued retention  of  which,  in  view  of  the  readiness  with 
which  some  Christian  churches  have  sold  theirs,  has 
evoked  much  comment.  The  "  First  "  (Beth  Haim) 
1656,  corner  of  Bancker  and  Fayette  (Madison  and 
Oliver)  streets;  1729,  more  ground  adjoining  was  pur- 
chased, some  of  which  was  subsequently  sold;  a 
"Second,"  corner  of  Gold  and  Jacob  streets,  but  not 
used;  a  "  Third,"  on  Sixth  Avenue,  near  Eleventh  Street, 
but  partly  used;  and  "Fourth,"  on  Twenty-first  Street, 
near  Sixth  Avenue.  When  the  Common  Council  pro- 
hibited interment  within  the  city  limits,  1852,  removed 
to  Cypress  Hills,  L.  I. 


2  12  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

While  some  Episcopal,  Dutch  Reformed,  Presbyterian, 
and  Unitarian  churches  have  been  removed  from  the 
lower  part  of  the  city,  their  sites  sold,  and  new  edifices 
constructed  uptown — apparently  with  greater  regard  to 
the  prominence  of  the  location  than  to  the  field  of  their 
usefulness — the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  with  that  zeal 
and  singleness  of  purpose  in  its  advancement  which  has 
ever  distinguished  it,  has  not  deviated  from  its  mission 
here,  by  the  blandishment  of  a  fashionable  congregation. 
It  has  not  only  retained  existing  churches,  but  has 
obtained  others,  in  locations  where  a  dense  population 
and  the  prospect  of  useful  work  seem  to  have  been  the 
guide.  "  St  George's"  and  the  "  Brick  Church"  in 
Beekman  Street;  the  ''Cedar  Street"  in  Duane,  and  the 
Dutch  and  Presbyterian  churches  in  Murray  Street, 
were  removed  more  to  meet  the  wishes  of  a  portion  of 
their  members  than  to  the  advantage  of  their  churches; 
the  latter,  removed  to  head  of  Lafayette  Place,  was  con- 
verted to  a  theatre. 

The  "  Church  of  the  Messiah  "  was  bought  by  A.  T. 
Stewart  and  converted  to  a  theatre,  also  the  "  Amity 
Street"  Baptist,  converted  to  a  stable.  "Pearl  Street" 
Meeting  House  was  bought  by  Messrs.  Appleton,  and 
the  Broome  Street,  corner  of  Greene,  by  the  Merchants' 
Express  Co. 

In  connection  with  the  Episcopal  churches,  of  which  I 
can  write  from  observation,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  refer 
to  some  of  the  clergymen.  Of  Bishops  Hobart,  Onder- 
donk,  and  Wainwright,  I  have  treated  in  other  chapters. 
The  popular  clergymen  of  the  time  in  this  Church  were. 
Drs.  James  Milnor  of  St.  George's,  Beekman  Street,  and 
Schroeder  of  Trinity  Parish,  who,  with  Onderdonk,  Ber- 
rian,  and  Bishop  Hobart,  alternated  between  Trinity 
Church,  St.  Paul's  and  St.  John's  chapels,  and  Dr.  Wain- 
wright occupied  the  pulpit  of  Grace  Church.  Subsequent 
to  this  Dr.  Schroeder  resigned  and  assumed  the  pastorate 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,    MAYOR  213 

of  a  church  in  the  upper  part  of  the  city;  his  popularity 
ceased,  and  his  position  was  filled  by  Dr.  Higbee.  It  is 
related  that,  when  Dr.  Milnor  died,  the  city  newspapers 
displayed  their  mourning  by  "  turning  their  column 
rules." 

The  service  in  these  churches  was  very  different  from 
that  observed  by  nearly  all  of  the  present  time  (1895). 
Thus  :  the  ritual  of  the  Common  Prayer  Book  was  uni- 
formly and  strictly  adhered  to  at  all  times,  whether  Com- 
munion was  to  be  administered  or  not,  which  Sacrament 
was  administered  only  on  the  first  Sunday  in  the  month, 
and  at  Christmas  and  Easter;  and,  excepting  during  Lent, 
the  church  doors  were  never  opened  for  other  than  burial 
service  from  their  closing  Sunday  evening  to  the  next 
Sunday  morning,  and  in  religious,  moral,  social  position, 
and  in  integrity,  I  fail  to  recognize  any  improvement  in 
the  people  at  this  time. 


EGLISE   DU   ST.  ESPRIT,  PINE  STREET 


CHAPTER  XI 
1827. — WILLIAM    PAULDING,    MAYOR 

The  city's  expenditure  for  the  year  amounted  to 
$1,179,634.65;  the  receipts  to  $1,149,631.39;  and  the  debt 
remained  at  $1,483,800.  In  the  three  city  watch  districts 
there  were  468  men,  6  captains,  and  12  assistants. 

Washington  Square  was  opened,  great  part  of  which 
had  been  occupied  as  the  Potter's  Field,  the  remainder, 
about  3^  acres,  being  purchased  for  $78,000.  As  bear- 
ing on  the  value  of  city  real  estate  at  this  time  I  quote 
the  following  passage  from  a  letter  with  which  Mr. 
Edmund  Hendricks  has  obliged  me.  Mr.  Hendricks 
writes  :  "  I  find  an  entry  on  the  Ledger  of  my  Grand- 
father, Mr.  Harmon  Hendricks,  under  date  of  June  4, 
1827,  'Paid  J.  C.  Hamilton,  McEvers  and  S.  Ward, 
Executors  of  Estate  of  J.  C.  Vandenheuvel  for  66  full 
lots,  and  a  number  of  strips  adjoining  my  farm  up  to 
the  centre  of  79th  Street,  and  half  the  front  on  nth 
Avenue,  $8,361.15.'  "  At  a  later  date,  in  or  about  1833, 
Burnham  removed  his  noted  hostelry  from  Broadway 
and  Seventieth  Street  to  this  Vandenheuvel  mansion  at 
Seventy-eighth  Street,  becoming  the  tenant  of  Mr. 
Harmon  Hendricks  at  a  rent  of  $600  per  annum.  I 
cannot  now  give  the  period  when  Burnham  first  opened 
his  hostelry,  but  it  was  anterior  to  1825. 

It  was  now  seriously  urged  by  many  that  the  city  could 
be  supplied  with  sufficient  pure  and  wholesome  water 
from  the  Bronx  River,  since  it  was  computed  that  it 
would  furnish  above  four  million  gallons  per  diem;  and 
by  the  lowering  of  Rye  Pond  and  the  aid  of  dams,  etc., 
nearly  nine  million  gallons  could  be  obtained. 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,    MAYOR  215 

Hack  fares  at  this  date  were  twenty-five  cents  a  single 
passage  for  any  distance  not  exceeding  one  mile;  for 
more  than  a  mile,  fifty  cents;  additional  passengers 
twenty-five  cents  each. 

Evan  Jones  of  53  White  Street  commenced  running 
a  line  of  stages  from  Broadway  and  Houston  Street  to 
Wall  Street.  Abraham  Brower  of  661  Broadway  also  put 
on  a  line  from  the  corner  of  Houston  Street  and  Broad- 
way to  Wall  Street,  corner  of  William.  In  a  few  years 
after  he  replaced  his  early  stages  with  new,  larger,  and 
more  convenient  ones,  drawn  by  four  horses.  When  the 
streets  were  sufficiently  covered  with  snow,  the  stages 
were  replaced  with  large  sleighs  drawn  by  four  or  six 
horses,  and  the  frolics  of  a  country  sleigh-ride  were 
moderately  indulged  in.  For  full  thirty  years  these 
great  sleighs  were  a  striking  winter  characteristic  of 
Broadway. 

January  15  Mine.  Malibran  appeared  at  the  "Bowery" 
Theatre  in  English  opera,  again  exciting  the  liveliest 
interest  and  attracting  great  audiences. 

February  1  a  ball  was  given  at  the  "  Bowery"  Theatre 
in  aid  of  the  Greek  Fund,  and  on  the  22d  another  at  the 
Park  Theatre;  they  were  well  and  fashionably  attended, 
equalled  in  character  and  brilliancy  only  by  the  fete  to 
Lafayette  at  Castle  Garden  in  1824. 

The  Common  Council  considered  the  construction  of  a 
market  at  the  foot  of  Canal  Street  and  one  (the  Clinton) 
was  finally  located  there;  it  also  proposed  to  close  the 
sewer  in  Maiden  Lane  and  lead  the  surface  water  to  the 
side  gutters. 

February  8  Mine.  Hutin,  a  celebrated  danseuse  from 
Paris,  appeared  at  the  New  Vork  ("Bowery")  Theatre  in 
"The  Roaming  Shepherds."  Although,  when  compared 
with  the  dress  of  ballet-girls  and  nymphs  of  the  stage  of 
the  present  day,  her  dress  might  be  held  to  be  unexcep- 
tionable, and  even  be  approved   by  a  prude   of   1896,  yet 


2l6  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

its  style  was  so  different  from  that  to  which  we  were 
accustomed  in  this  country  as  to  cause  a  furor  to  see  her. 
The  novelty  of  her  manner  of  dancing  and  the  character 
of  her  dress  were  not  only  the  theme  of  talk  and  dis- 
cussion for  a  long  while,  but  they  led  to  a  very  general 
discussion  in  the  newspapers.  In  fact,  if  she  had 
appeared  as  some  female  characters  do  now  (as  early 
as  1880),  the  scene  that  was  exhibited  at  the  Urury  Lane 
Theatre,  London,  a  century  ago,  upon  the  first  appear- 
ance of  "The  Beggars'  Opera"  would  in  all  probability 
have  been  enacted  here.  The  theatre  at  this  date 
opened  at  half-past  six. 

March  5  an  Arcade,  which  had  been  in  course  of 
construction  for  some  months,  was  opened  from  Maiden 
Lane  to  John  Street,  in  the  block  about  one  hundred  feet 
east  of  Broadway;  it  had  not  the  success  that  had  been 
anticipated  and  survived  but  a  few  years. 

March  12  Jacob  Barker  was  tried  for  libel,  and  con- 
victed on  the  10th  of  the  following  month. 

Andrew  Colvin,  who  had  operated  a  stage  from  Wall 
Street  to  the  upper  part  of  Broadway,  was  constrained  to 
abandon  the  enterprise. 

March  18  the  "Greek  Committee,"  as  it  was  termed, 
that  is,  the  association  of  citizens  who  were  selected  to 
solicit  and  receive  donations  for  the  benefit  of  the  Greeks 
in  their  resistance  to  the  Turks,  despatched  the  ship  Chan- 
cellor to  Greece  with  provisions,  etc. 

March  23  the  steamboat  Oliver  EllswortJi,  from  Say- 
brook,  Conn.,  to  this  city,  collapsed  a  flue  of  her  boiler 
and  scalded  several  persons.  When  the  boiler  was 
repaired,  her  owner  had  a  piece  of  the  copper  plate  of 
which  the  furnaces  were  constructed  heated  and  doubled, 
and  displayed  it  in  the  captain's  office  as  a  sample 
of  the  copper  of  her  boiler,  leading  to  the  natural 
inference  with  laymen  that  it  was  of  the  exceptional 
thickness  shown,  and    consequently   comparatively   safe. 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,    MAYOR 


217 


Whereas,  the  thinner  the  metal  plates  of  a  boiler,  con- 
sistent with  their  resistance  to  a  normal  stress,  the 
safer  they  are,  as  they  then  more  readily  transmit  the 
heat    of   the   furnace,   and  consequently    are  less    liable 


BROADWAY  STAGE   AND  TATTERSALL'S 


than  thick  ones  to  be  injured  by  the  burning  of  the 
metal. 

Third,  Seventh,  Tenth,  and  Twenty-first  streets  were 
ordered  to  be  opened  on  May  1. 

In  April  Levi  Disbrow,  who  had  been  employed  to 
bore  for  water  for  factories  in  neighboring  towns,  began 
a  series  of  borings  here,  with  a  view  to  convince  our 
citizens  of  the  practicability  of  obtaining  a  sufficiency  of 
water  for  their  wants  by  such  an  operation,  and  a  pipe 
was  sunk  in  Broadway,  opposite  Bond  Street. 

April  2  the  steamboat  Washington,  Captain  E.  S. 
Bunker,  made  the  run  from   Providence  here  in  eighteen 


2l8  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

hours,  whereby  Boston  newspapers  were  received  here  in 
twenty-two  hours;  the  performance  was  held  to  be  wrorthy 
of  public  notice.  A  ferry-boat  from  Christopher  Street 
to  Hoboken,  the  Fairy  Queen,  commenced  running  about 
this  time,  but  the  exact  period  has  escaped  me;  probably 
a  year  earlier,  but  not  later. 

May  i  the  Merchants'  Exchange  building  in  Wall 
Street  was  opened.  July  4  the  Post  office  was  installed 
in  part  of  the  basement  of  this  building;  rent  of  letter 
boxes  four  dollars  per  annum.  Following  the  comple- 
tion of  the  Exchange  the  marine  telegraph  previously 
■communicating  from  Staten  Island  to  the  Battery  was 
-extended  from  Wall  Street  to  Sandy  Hook  via  Staten 
Island.  My  readers  will  of  course  understand  not  the 
modern  telegraph  familiar  to  them,  but  the  old-fash- 
ioned instruments  for  signalling  to  the  eye  aided  by  a 
telescope. 

May  8  Captain  John  B.  Nicholson,  U.  S.  N.,  presented 
the  city  with  four  granite  balls  which  were  alleged  to 
have  been  taken  from  the  ruins  of  Troy;  they  were  set 
upon  the  four  granite  columns  at  the  gates  leading  to  the 
southern  entrance  to  the  Park. 

The  Legislature  constructed  the  Thirteenth  and  Four- 
teenth Wards. 

May  24,  in  consequence  of  the  unusual  number  of 
strangers  visiting  the  city,  from  the  somewhat  diverse 
causes  of  the  yearly  meetings  of  the  Quakers  and  the 
coming  races  at  the  Union  Course,  the  papers  of  the  day 
published  a  list  of  the  places  of  interest  to  visitors.  To 
illustrate  the  difference  in  the  number  and  character  of 
these  between  that  time  and  the  present  1  recite  those 
that  were  given;  77's.,  American  Academy  of  Arts, 
Brou wer's  Gallery  of  Busts,  Scudder's  and  Peale's 
Museums,  Spectaculum  in  Chatham  Street,  Athenaeum, 
City  Library,  Automatic  Chess  Players,  Sea  Serpent, 
Dwarf,  and  Wonderful  Ox.      There  were  two  museums  in 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,    MAYOR  219 

full  operation  at  this  time;  viz.,  Scudder's  in  the  City 
Almshouse,  before  referred  to,  and  Peale's  in  Broadway. 
Each  sported  a  band  of  music  with  which  to  beguile 
visitors,  and  each  vied  with  the  other  in  the  effective- 
ness and  supremacy  of  their  bands.  When  one  opened 
with  "The  Star  Spangled  Banner,"  the  other  was  sure 
to  follow  with  "Yankee  Doodle."  Probably  in  musical 
quality  these  bands  may  not  have  been  superior  to  the 
later  one  of  Barnum,  which  daily  blew  with  great  persist- 
ency from  the  gallery  of  the  American  Museum  at  Broad- 
way and  Ann  Street.  Of  the  quality  of  that  one,  my 
readers  who  do  not  know  it  may  judge  from  the  follow- 
ing story,  which  is  ben  trovato,  if  not  true.  An  ambitious 
young  cornet-player  applied  to  Barnum  for  an  engage- 
ment and  was  agreeably  surprised  at  finding  little  diffi- 
culty made  by  the  great  showman,  and  ready  employment 
on  liberal  terms.  The  young  musician  played  steadily 
for  more  than  a  week,  when,  receiving  no  hint  of  salary, 
he  inquired  of  Barnum  concerning  that  subject.  "  Pay  !  " 
said  Barnum,  "I  pay  you!  Nothing  of  the  sort.  You 
are  to  pay  me.  You  seem  not  to  understand,  my  young 
friend,  that  my  band  is  made  up  of  men  who  are  learning 
their  instruments,  and  want  a  good  outdoor  place  for 
practice  and  to  get  the  hang  of  playing  together.  They 
are  glad  enough  to  pay,  and  of  course  they  ought  to  be, 
for  there  is  no  such  chance  in  America  for  an  industrious 
musician  to  advance  in  his  art  as  in  the  band  of  Barnum's 
great  American  Museum." 

May  31  the  circus  in  Broadway  was  converted  to  a 
Theatre  and  termed  the  Broadway,  and  subsequently  con- 
verted to  a  stable  and  horse  market  and  named  Tatter- 
sail's  (see  illustration,  page  217). 

June  27  Mile.  Celeste,  a  danseuse  and  actress  from 
Paris,  made  her  debut  at  the  "  Bowery  "  Theatre.  The 
high  reputation  she  acquired  here  was  confirmed  on  her 
return  to  Europe,  though  she  was  then  very  young.      She 


2  20  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

married  an  American  gentleman,  and  was  again  at  the 
"  Bowery  "  late  in  1834.  In  1838  she  was  again  here,  and 
in  the  autumn  of  185 1,  when  she  was  at  the  Broadway 
Theatre. 

Street  gas-lamps  were  first  lighted  in  this  month. 

July  4  the  "Bowery"  Theatre  was  opened  for  a  day 
performance  for  the  first  time,  and  this  was  the  first 
theatrical  matinee  ever  given  in  this  country.  On  this 
day  negro  slavery  in  the  State  was  abolished. 

August  27  Cliff  Street  was  opened  from  Ferry  into 
Skinner,  and  both  were  known  as  Cliff  Street  thenceforth. 
Cheapside  was  changed  to  Hamilton  Street. 

Miss  Suydam,  daughter  of  John  Suydam  of  this  city, 
while  on  a  tour  to  Trenton  Falls,  in  passing  around  the 
amphitheatre  fell  into  the  basin  below,  receiving  fatal 
injury.  The  youth  of  the  lady,  added  to  her  social  posi- 
tion and  accomplishments,  evoked  regret  and  a  very 
general  sympathy  for  the  parents. 

September  11  Clara  Fisher,  afterward  Mrs.  Maeder, 
appeared  at  the  Park  Theatre  as  a  "youthful  prodigy," 
in  the  character  of  Albino,  Mandeville,  in  which  she  ex- 
hibited unwonted  precocity  and  became  a  great  favorite. 
Of  her  it  was  written: 

"  A  charming  young  Fisher  a-fishing  has  come 
From  the  land  of  our  fathers,  her  sea-circled  home  ; 
She  uses  no  line  and  she  uses  no  hook, 
But  she  catches  her  prey  with  a  smile  and  a  look." 

Clara  Fisher  became  the  fashion,  and  for  several  years 
enjoyed  popularity  without  measure,  and  most  justly. 
In  the  lighter  characters  of  opera  and  comedy,  and  in 
boys'  parts,  she  was  unsurpassed.  She  was  last  at  the 
Park  in  the  season  of  1840-41,  but  late  in  1844  appeared 
there  as  Lydia  Languish  at  the  benefit  of  her  sister  Mrs. 
Vernon.  Later  Mrs.  Maeder  returned  to  the  stage, 
and   was   seen    during  the  fifties,  or  perhaps    even    later. 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,    MAYOR  2  21 

September  12  another  mainstay  of  our  stage — George 
Holland — made  his  first  appearance  at  the  "  Bowery,"  and 
became  a  chief  attraction  at  Mitchell's  Olympic  Theatre. 

Boston  Road,  from  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth 
Street  to  Harlem  River,  was  closed  in  this  year.  Henry 
Street  was  widened.  The  Manhattan  Market  at  Goerck, 
Rivington,  Stanton,  and  Mangin  streets  was  built.  This 
market  was  named  after  the  neighboring  Manhattan 
Island,  and  I  may  explain  here  to  the  young  gentlemen 
from  the  country  who  furnish  the  "  city  news  "  for  most 
of  our  newspapers,  and  in  doing  it  betray  no  knowledge 
of  the  town  earlier  than  that  acquired  the  year  before, 
that  Manhattan  Island  and  the  Island  of  Manhattan 
are  very  different  things.  The  former  title  was  given  to 
a  knoll  of  land  lying  nearly  within  the  lines  of  the  present 
Houston,  Third,  and  Lewis  streets,  which  at  very  high 
tides  was  insulated.  For  many  years  the  name  was  by 
extension  applied  also  to  the  near-by  territory;  that  part 
of  the  city  lying  adjacent  to  the  knoll  being  familiarly 
termed  Manhattan  Island. 

The  editorial  staff  of  the  New  York  Mirror  and  Ladies 
Literary  Gazette  before  referred  to  (1823),  being  added  to 
by  Gulian  C.  Verplanck,  Charles  Fenno  Hoffman,  and 
James  Fenimore  Cooper,  the  paper  was  popular  and  well 
patronized. 

September  13.  The  Law  Committee  of  the  Board  of 
Aldermen  recommended  the  erection  of  an  additional 
or  Superior  Court  and  the  appointment  of  a  \ "ice-chan- 
cellor. It  was  also  proposed  by  the  board  to  authorize  a 
new  ferry  to  Brooklyn  from  the  foot  of  Whitehall  Street, 
to  be  known  as  the  South  Ferry,  but  it  was  so  violently 
opposed  by  Stephen  Whitney,  Jacob  Xevius,  and  many 
other  residents  of  the  lower  part  of  the  city,  that  the 
project  was  delayed  for  some  years.  The  arguments  or 
objections  submitted  were,  first,  that  it  was  wholly 
unnecessary,   and    secondly,    that    in    the    winter  season 


222  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

the  slip  would  be  so  blocked  with  ice  as  to  render  it 
impracticable  for  the  boats  to  enter.  There  was  a  force 
in  this  position  that  persons  of  the  present  day  whose 
recollection  does  not  include  a  period  of  fifty  years  can- 
not recognize,  from  the  circumstance  I  have  already 
mentioned,  that  at  that  time  there  were  but  few  ferry- 
boats and  fewer  steamboats  running  in  the  winter  season, 
and  no  tow-boats;  hence  the  ice-fields  in  the  river  were 
not  broken  up  as  they  were  even  a  few  years  later,  and 
are  still  more  at  the  present  time. 

September  29.  The  Lafayette  Theatre  was  entirely 
rebuilt  during  this  summer,  with  an  imposing  granite 
front  and  a  stage  120  feet  deep  and  100  feet  wide,  the 
largest  then  existing  in  either  England  or  America. 
The  renewed  house,  thought  to  be  the  finest  in  this 
country,  was  opened. 

October  3  Miss  Kelly  from  London  appeared  at  the 
Park  Theatre. 

At  a  meeting  of  citizens  a  committee  of  fourteen  was 
appointed  to  select  a  delegation  from  its  number  to  pro- 
ceed to  New  Orleans  on  the  8th  of  January  ensuing  (the 
anniversary  of  the  battle  of  New  Orleans),  and  present 
its  congratulations  to  General  Andrew  Jackson;  and 
Messrs.  Saul  Alley,  Thaddeus  Phelps,  and  James  A. 
Hamilton  were  selected. 

October  9  Mme.  Malibran  began  a  brief  final  engage- 
ment here,  at  the  "  Bowery  "  Theatre.  Mr.  Malibran's 
financial  distress  had  compelled  her  to  resort  again  to  her 
art  as  a  means  of  livelihood,  and  for  some  time  she  had 
sung  in  the  choir  of  Grace  Church.  Her  last  appearance 
here  was  the  28th,  at  her  benefit.  The  few  remaining 
who  knew  this  artist  will  agree  that  not  only  her  voice 
and  grand  style  of  singing,  but  also  her  face,  form,  and 
gesture  produced  an  impression  that  will  remain  while 
memory  endures. 

October  28  a  duel  was  fought  under   the  bluff  at  Wee- 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,    MAYOR  22$ 

hawken  Heights  on  a  spot  then  and  for  some  time  after- 
ward well  known  as  the  duelling-ground;  it  was  there 
General  Alexander  Hamilton  fell  in  his  duel  with  Aaron 
Burr,  Richard  Riker  was  wounded  by  Robert  Swartwout, 
and  General  Swartwout  and  Wm.  Maxwell  and  others  had 
fought.  The  parties  were  Wm.  G.  Graham,  associate 
editor  with  M.  M.  Xoah  in  the  New  York  Enquirer, 
seconded  by  Louis  Atterbury,  and  a  Mr.  Barton  of  Phila- 
delphia, seconded  by  Wm.  E.  McLeod.  Mr.  Graham 
falling  at  the  second  fire,  his  body  was  ferried  across  the 
river  to  about  Forty-second  Street,  or  the  French  tan- 
yards,  as  the  locality  was  termed. 

Xovember  8  a  new  version  of  "  Der  Freischiitz"  was 
produced  at  the  Park,  with  Charles  E.  Horn  as  Caspar, 
a  capital  performance.  Horn  was  long  admired  here, 
while  his  voice  lasted. 

In  December  Mr.  Youle,  the  proprietor  of  the  shot- 
tower  at  East  Fifty-fourth  Street,  advertised  the  sale  of 
some  lots  in  its  immediate  vicinity,  and  in  order  to  advise 
probable  purchasers  of  the  locality  and  how  to  reach  it 
he  published  that  it  was  the  Spring  Valley  property  on 
the  Old  Post  Road  near  the  four-mile  stone,  and  that 
conveyances  would  be  furnished. 

December  n  Timothy  B.  Redmond,  proprietor  of  the 
United  States  Hotel  in  Pearl  Street  (not  the  present 
hotel  in  Fulton  Street),  who  had  been  arrested  on  an 
indictment  for  robbery,  was  arraigned,  and  his  trial  post- 
poned. This  is  mentioned  from  the  circumstance  that 
on  his  trial  at  a  later  date  (January  17)  it  appeared  that 
his  arrest,  imprisonment,  and  trial  were  solely  due  to 
his  resemblance  to  a  noted  thief.  From  the  time  of  his 
arrest  to  that  of  his  acquittal  the  case  was  the  cause  of 
much  discussion  and  speculation,  as  there  was  a  large 
number  of  our  citizens  who  were  disposed  to  believe 
him  guilty.  He  was  honorably  acquitted,  however,  in  the 
January  following. 


224  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

Some  hotel-keepers  and  friends  subscribed  and  gave 
him  a  dinner,  and  some  time  afterward  "Old  Hays,"  as 
he  was  known,  arrested  a  man  who  proved  to  be  the  one 
who  had  forged  and  presented  the  checks.  On  examina- 
tion he  proved  to  resemble  Redmond  in  a  very  decided 
manner.  In  the  interval  between  his  incarceration  and 
trial  many  stories  were  related  of  acts  of  Redmond, 
which  wereall  construed  as  evidence  of  a  previous  course 
of  criminality,  and  he  was  socially  and  financially  ruined. 

William  C.  Bryant,  who  came  to  the  city  in  1826,  be- 
came a  partner  and  associate  editor  in  the  Evening  Post. 

December  18  Henry  Eckford,  considering  himself 
aggrieved  by  the  manner  in  which  the  District  Attorney, 
Hugh  Maxwell,  had  conducted  the  prosecution  against 
him  and  others  (before  referred  to),  and  some  subsequent 
offensive  declarations  as  alleged,  caused  a  challenge  to 
be  delivered  to  him,  which  was  declined. 

The  widening  of  Nassau  and  Liberty  streets  was  pro- 
posed by  the  Common  Council. 

The  Journal  of  Commerce  on  September  1  was  estab- 
lished by  Arthur  Tappan  as  a  great  moral  and  abolition 
paper,  and  it  was  announced  that  lottery  and  like  notices 
and  advertisements  would  be  excluded.  In  1828  it  was 
purchased  and  edited  by  Hale  &  Hallock,  absorbing 
The  Times,  which  had  been  published  for  a  brief  period 
before.  The  publication  office  was  at  No.  2  Merchants' 
Exchange,  and  work  was  not  permitted  in  it  between 
12  p.  m.,  Saturday,  and  12  p.  m.,  Sunday.  The  Journal 
of  Commerce  and  the  Enquirer,  in  their  competitive 
efforts  to  publish  the  first  news  of  arrivals  by  sea, 
employed  small  sailing  vessels  to  cruise  off  Sandy  Hook, 
carrying  reporters  to  board  the  incoming  ships. 

The  principal  hotels  at  this  period  were  the  Adelphi, 
corner  Broadway  and  Beaver  Street;  Mansion  House,  at 
39  Broadway  (see  page  394),!)}'  W.  I.  Bunker;  City  Hotel, 
siteofBoreel  Building,  in  Broadway,  by  Chester  Jennings ; 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,    MAYOR 


225 


National  Hotel,  112  Broadway;  Franklin  House,  corner 
Broadway  and  Dey  Street,  by  McNeil  Seymour;  American 
Hotel,  corner  Broadway  and  Barclay  Street;  Washington 
Hall,  on  Broadway,  corner  Reade  Street ;  Park  Place  House, 
corner  Broadway  and  Park  Place;  Pearl  Street  House,  86-88 
Pearl  Street;  Xiblo's  Bank  Coffee  House,  Pine,  corner 
William  Street;  New  York  Coffee  House,  William  Street, 
near  Beaver;  Tontine  Coffee  House,  in  Wall  Street,  cor- 
ner Water  Street;    New  York  Hotel,   Greenwich  Street, 


BROADWAY,   NEAR   PRINCE  STREET,  WEST  SIDE,   1830 


between  Dey  and  Cortlandt  streets;  Northern  Hotel, 
West,  corner  of  Cortlandt  Street;  Walton  House,  in 
Pearl  Street,  near  Peck  Slip;  Tammany  Hall,  corner 
Nassau  and  Frankfort  streets;  New  England  Hotel, 
Water  Street,  between  Fulton  Street  and  Peck  Slip  ; 
United  States  Hotel,  Pearl  Street,  near  Maiden  Lane. 

The  schism  in  the  Quakers  between  "  Orthodox  "  and 
"Hicksites"  resulted  in  the  former  building  a  house  in 
Henry  Street;  the  latter  party  retaining  possession  of  the 
existing  houses,  which  were  subsequently  sold  and  the 
present  buildings  erected  on  Rutherford    Place  and  Six- 


226 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


teenth  Street,  and  East  Twentieth  Street  and  Gramercy 
Park. 

When  the  Exchange  was  completed,  Exchange  Street  to 
Broad  was  named  Exchange  Place. 

An  association  of  ladies,  members  of  the  Wall  Street 
Church,  organized  a  Sunday-school  some  years  previous 
to  this;  but  it  was  in  this  year  absorbed  by  the  American 
Sunday-school  Union. 

In  this  year  died  Thomas  Addis  Emmet,  the  Irish 
orator. 

The  secretary  of  an  insurance  company  in  this  city,  who 
was  afflicted  with  the  gambling  mania,  lost  in  one  evening 
a  sum  said  to  have  exceeded  fifty  thousand  dollars;  soon 
after  it  was  discovered  he  was  deficient  fully  three  times 
that  amount;  the  directors  caused  him  to  be  arrested 
and  imprisoned,  and  soon  after  he  committed  suicide. 


STATE  PRISON,   WASHINGTON  STREET 


CHAPTER  XII 

1828-1829. — WILLIAM    PAULDING,     1828-1829,     AND 
WALTER    BOWNE,     1829,    MAYORS 

1828.  January  2  Mrs.  Austin  of  London  appeared 
at  the  Park  Theatre  in  "Love  in  a  Village."  She  was  a 
charming  vocalist  as  well  as  actress,  and  became  very- 
popular,  and  remained  in  this  country  until  1835. 

At  this  time  the  nomination  of  General  Andrew  Jack- 
son for  the  Presidency  at  the  coming  convention  was  so 
well  assured  that  unusual  interest  was  manifested  in  the 
customary  annual  dinner  at  Tammany  Hall,  on  the  8th 
of  January,  in  commemoration  of  the  battle  of  New 
Orleans.  It  was  attended  by  the  magnates  of  the  Re- 
publican (Democratic)  party,  presided  over  by  Benjamin 
Bailey. 

In  the  month  of  February  there  were  thirty-four 
packet-ships  trading  between  this  port  and  London, 
Liverpool,  and  Havre. 

A  faction  of  the  Democratic  party  who  were  in  the 
habit  of  meeting  at  the  "Pewter  Mug"  in  Frankfort 
Street,  combined  with  the  Administration  or  Adams 
men  and  some  anti-Masons,  defeated  some  of  the  Tam- 
many candidates  for  office.  Hence  the  term  "  Pewter 
Muggers." 

March  31,  West  Street  extended  to  the  Great  Kill  Road 
(Greenwich  Street). 

A.  M.  Bailey  in  Hudson  Street  advertised  a  grate, 
designed  for  the  combustion  of  anthracite  coal,  which 
was  the  first  construction  of  one  suited  for  this  new  fuel, 
then  gradually  being  introduced  into  domestic  use.      In 


228 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


December  of  this  year  the  first  product  of  the  Delaware 
and  Hudson  mines  was  received  in  New  York.  January 
16  a  meeting  of  the  Common  Council  convened  in  con- 
sequence of  the  death  of  Governor  Clinton,  a  resolution 
was  passed  inviting  Bishop  Hobart  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  to  deliver  an  eulogium  on  the  deceased,  which  he 
declined  to  do,  as  he  held  that  such  and  like  deliveries 
were  "  a  prostitution  of  religion  to  the  purpose  of  secular 
policy."  It  is  very  questionable  if  a  bishop  or  clergy- 
man at  the  present  day  would  decline  such  an  oppor- 
tunity to  signalize  himself.  Dr.  Hosack  delivered  the 
eulogium. 

Game  of  all  kinds  was  more  plentiful  at  this  time  than 
since  the  multiplying  of  railroads  and  steamboats  has 
afforded  facility  for  visiting  neighboring  districts.     Thus, 


CITY    HALL  PARK   IN   1817 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,    MAYOR  229 

a  party  of  two,  in  one  of  the  ponds  on  the  south  side  of 
Long  Island,  in  two  days' fishing,  killed  in  trout,  weigh- 
ing 60  pounds,  one  of  which  weighed  10  pounds  6  ounces. 

Roasted  chestnuts  were  first  sold  in  the  streets  by  a 
Frenchman  who  made  his  appearance  in  or  about  this 
year,  and  established  himself  on  the  sidewalk,  corner  of 
Duane  Street  and  Broadway,  selling  at  first  only  the 
large  chestnuts  of  the  Spanish  or  French  variety.  He 
became  so  well  identified  as  the  originator  of  this  street 
industry  that,  upon  his  death,  which  occurred  not  many 
years  since,  it  was  noticed  in  several  of  the  daily  papers. 

Asa  Hall  extended  his  enterprise  of  one  stage,  from 
Exchange  Coffee  House,  site  of  the  Duncan  building, 
corner  Pine  and  Nassau  streets,  to  Greenwich,  corner  of 
Hudson  and  Amos  streets,  to  a  line  of  stages,  of  the 
omnibus  type,   12}^  cents. 

The  tax  levy  in  this  year  was  approved  at  $450,000. 

The  City  Hotel  and  lots,  now  occupied  by  the  Boreel 
Building,  were  sold  at  public  auction  for  $123,000. 

March  28  first  appeared  in  New  York,  in  the  char- 
acter of  Little  Pickle,  Miss  Louisa  Lane,  now  known  and 
admired  as  Mrs.  John  Drew. 

Arundel,  north  of  Division  Street,  was  changed  to 
Chrystie.  Reason,  from  Bedford  to  Fifth  Street,  toward 
Sixth  Avenue,  was  changed  to  Barrow.  Collect,  from 
Pearl  to  Hester  and  from  Rvnder  to  Orange,  was  changed 
to  Centre  Street,  April  7.  In  181 7  it  had  not  been 
opened  beyond  Pearl;  but  was  subsequently  extended  to 
Chambers  Street. 

The  name  and  address  of  Delmonico  and  Brothers  first 
appeared  in  this  year,  when  they  opened  a  coffee,  cake, 
and  confectionery  room  at  23  William  Street  in  a  single 
room,  in  which  they  and  the  female  members  of  their 
families  dispensed  bon-bons,  coffee,  liquors,  pate's,  and 
confections.  In  1831  they  opened  a  fully  appointed  res- 
taurant, whence  they  removed  after  the  fire  of  1835  t0  7^ 


23O  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

Broad  Street  until  their  erection  of  the  building,  in  1837, 
at  intersection  of  Beaver,  William,  and  South  William 
streets,  removed  in  1890  and  reconstructed.  Their  sub- 
sequent course  and  the  status  of  their  representatives  are 
too  well  known  for  a  recital  here. 

May  15  occupants  of  the  State  Prison  in  Greenwich 
Street  were  removed  to  the  newly  constructed  building 
at  Sing  Sing,  the  construction  of  which  had  been  com- 
menced in  1825. 

May  20  the  "  Bowery  "  Theatre  burned,  taking  fire  from 
a  neighboring  livery  stable,  whence  the  winds  drove  the 
flames  to  the  theatre,  beginning  with  the  roof.  This 
occurred  about  6  o'clock  p.  m.  The  postponed  benefit 
of  Mrs.  Gilfert  was  set  for  that  evening.  The  house 
was  rebuilt  better  than  before  within  the'space  of  ninety 
days,  being  opened  late  in  August,  on  which  occasion 
Forrest  delivered  the  address,  written  by  William  Leg- 
gett,  the  editor  and  critic. 

July  4  William  Niblo  removed  from  the  Bank  Coffee 
House,  corner  William  and  Pine  streets,  and  opened 
a  hotel,  garden,  and  theatre  at  the  northeast  corner  of 
Broadway  and  Prince  Street,  site  of  the  Metropolitan 
Hotel,  and  termed  it  the  Sa/?s  Souci.  The  theatre  was 
opened  by  Charles  Gilfert,  the  "Bowery"  manager,  for 
a  brief  season,  while  his  house  was  rebuilding.  Many 
famous  performances  have  taken  place  at  this  spot  ;  not- 
ably here  the  Ravels  long  delighted  town  and  country 
alike.  At  this  time  "  Niblo's  Garden  "  was  an  actual  gar- 
den, with  walks,  flowers,  trees,  summer-houses,  etc.,  and 
was  considered  somewhat  remote  from  town.  The  theatre 
or  enteitainment  saloon  was  in  the  centre.  This  subse- 
quently  gave  place  to  a  complete,  permanent  theatre, 
and  the  garden  vanished. 

August  30  M.  and  Mme.  Vestris  appeared  at  the 
"Bowery";  they  were  excellent  dancers.  Forrest  and 
Booth,  and  many  other  attractions,  were  ottered  after  the 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,    MAYOR  231 

re-opening  of  this  house,  but  the  season  was  disastrous 
until  its  close  in  midsummer  of  1829;  soon  after  which 
the  manager,  Gilfert,  died  from  worry  and  care. 

Late  in  the  season  a  full  and  effective  French  opera 
company  opened  at  the  Park,  and  continued  at  intervals 
until  the  close  of  1829. 

The  city  stages  (omnibuses)  had  so  increased  at  this 
time  (twenty  in  number)  that  there  were  five  routes 
in  operation,  viz. :  Greenwich,  Broadway,  Manhattan- 
ville,  Grand,  and  Dry  Dock  {via  Water  and  Cherry 
streets,   etc.). 

September  18  a  traveller  from  Cincinnati  reached 
here  in  the  unprecedented  time  of  seven  days;  so  re- 
markable was  this  considered  that  it  was  noticed  and 
commented  upon  in  the  papers. 

The  canvass  for  the  Presidency  at  this  time  was  very 
warmly  contested.  The  Republicans  (Democrats),  having 
nominated  General  Andrew  Jackson,  designated  the 
headquarters  of  their  election  districts  by  planting  hick- 
ory-trees as  emblematic  of  his  decided  victory  over  the 
Seminole  Indians  in  Florida  at  the  Hickory  Swamp,  and 
gave  him  the  title  of  "Old  Hickory."  In  1844,  when 
James  K.  Polk  was  a  candidate  of  the  same  party,  he  was 
known  as  "Young  Hickory,"  and  small  hickory-trees 
were  in  like  manner  planted. 

The  male  prisoners  in  the  State  Prison  were  trans- 
ferred to  the  new  prison  at  Sing  Sing,  and  in  the  year 
following  the  females  were  transferred.  It  was  proposed 
in  1827  by  an  association  of  citizens,  after  some  prelimi- 
nary motions  a  year  earlier,  to  cause  a  canal  sixty  feet  in 
width  to  be  cut  from  the  foot  of  East  One  Hundred  and 
Eighth  Street  through  the  island,  to  terminate  at  the 
west  side  of  Macomb's  Dam  in  the  Harlem  River.  It  was 
to  be  known  as  the  Harlem  Canal.  The  stock  of  the 
company  was  filled  by  this  time,  and  on  September  17  of 
this  year  ground  was  broken.     The  excavation  proceeded 


232  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

about  as  far  as  Fourth  Avenue,  after  which  the  enterprise 
was  abandoned,  having  become  a  source  of  annoyance  as 
well  as  of  loss  to  all  concerned.  Until  within  a  few  years 
(1895)  some  remains  of  the  entrance  lock  were  still  to  be 
seen. 

The  Xew  York  Screw  Dock  Company,  at  415  "Water 
Street,  was  organized  in  this  year,  and  the  first  dock  (as 
it  was  erroneously  termed,  it  being  strictly  an  elevator) 
was  located  in  South  Street,  since  extended  out,  when 
South  Street  was  opened  at  that  point  between  Market 
and  Pike  slips.  Zebedee  Ring  and  associates  constructed 
and  operated  it. 

Miss  Emma  Wheatly,  at  the  age  of  six,  was  engaged  at 
the  Park  Theatre  this  season  as  a  danseuse,  and  was  in 
the  habit  of  executing  with  her  sister  a  pas  de  deux 
between  the  acts.  Fanny  Kemble  in  1832  admired  her 
and  aided  her  with  instruction,  and  at  the  age  of  thirteen 
she  made  her  regular  debut  at  the  Park  as  Prince  Arthur 
in  "King  John."  This  appearance  was  successful,  and 
she  subsequently  appeared  as  Desdemona,  Julia,  Mrs. 
Hallcr,  etc.,  and  gave  promise  of  a  very  decided  talent. 
She  remained  at  the  Park  until  the  autumn  of  1837,  when 
she  became  leading  lady  of  Wallack's  company  at  the 
new  National  Theatre,  while  not  yet  sixteen.  In  1837 
she  married  James  Mason,  son  of  the  president  of  the 
Chemical  Bank,  and  retired  from  the  stage  in  the  spring 
of  1838.  Her  adieu  at  the  National  Theatre  (corner  of 
Leonard  and  Church  streets)  was  in  the  character  of 
Desdemona,  supported  by  Edwin  Forrest,  Booth,  Janus 
\Y.  Wallack,  William  Wheatly,  and  Mrs.  Sefton;  and  Mr. 
Dayton,  in  his  happy  reminiscences,  declares  the  house  to 
have  been  "  electrified  by  the  effects  of  this  galaxy  of 
talent."  Compelled  by  pecuniary  need,  Mrs.  Mason 
returned  to  the  Park  Theatre  in  1847.  She  died  in  1854, 
much  lamented,  for  she  had  been  beloved  and  admired  on 
the  stage  and  in  society. 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,    MAYOR  233 

Blackwell's  Island  was  purchased  by  the  city  in  this 
year  for  thirty-two  thousand  dollars. 

Joseph  Bonfanti,  before  mentioned  as  the  proprietor  of 
a  store  for  varieties  of  things  both  "of  use  and  sport," 
was  in  the  annual  habit  of  detailing  in  verse  the  character 
and  extent  of  the  articles  he  offered,  much  to  the  amuse- 
ment of  all.  As  an  example  I  furnish  a  specimen  verse 
for  this  year,  being  a  parody  on  the  recitals  of  the  stories 
of  Major  Longbow  by  Mr.  Hackett,  which  then  were 
popular  : 

"  I  came  in  an  air  balloon, 

It  rose  from  the  Champ  de  Mars  ; 
And  I  called  on  the  man  in  the  moon 
To  purchase  the  seven  stars. 
He  said  the  stars  were  dim, 
Bonfanti's  store  was  nigh  : 
I'd  better  go  down  to  him. 
What  will  you  lay  it's  a  lie  ?  " 

In  December  a  market  (Tompkins)  was  ordered  to  be 
constructed  in  Third  Avenue  and  the  Bowery,  and 
Liberty  Street  to  be  widened  in  the  following  May.  If 
this  street  at  its  present  width  is  the  result  of  widening, 
what  could  it  have  been  in  its  original  width  ?  would  be  a 
natural  question  of  the  day. 

There  was  a  social  feature  of  the  day,  the  annual  ball 
given  by  the  bachelors,  known  as  the  Bachelors'  Ball, 
that  has  lapsed  for  many  years,  and  it  was  one  that 
should  have  been  maintained.  It  was  a  distinguished 
affair  and  in  the  van  of  all  essays  of  that  character,  being 
far  more  select  in  the  character  of  its  patrons  than  would 
be  practicable  at  this  time.  All  the  managers  wore  knee- 
breeches,  silk  stockings,  and  pumps. 

In  this  year  appeared  the  Merchants'  Telegraph,  pub- 
lished and  edited  by  John  I.  Mumford.  The  daily  issue 
of  all  the  papers  published  in  the  city  was  given  as  fifteen 
thousand. 


234  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

August  2  the  Mount  Pitt  circus  was  burned. 

Kipp  &  Brown,  at  431-433  Hudson  Street,  commenced 
running  a  line  of  stages  from  Charles  to  Pine  Street. 

Peter  M.  Bayard  occupied  11  and  13  State  Street  as  a 
hotel  and  restaurant.  In  consequence  of  the  location, 
giving  an  unrestricted  view  of  the  Bay,  open  to  the 
south  and  west  breezes  in  the  summer,  and  the  sun  in 
winter,  it  became  a  favorite  resort,  and  especially  of 
a  clique  of  idlers  who  assembled  there  in  the  forenoon, 
and  repaired  to  their  evening  resorts  at  the  close  of  the 
day.  Here  turtle  soup  was  dispensed  which  was  worthy 
of  the  animal  of  which  it  was  made;  not  the  puree  of  this 
time,  which  is  served  at  some  of  our  leading  restaurants 
and  clubs;  not  a  thin  consomme  of  that  which  might  be 
calves'  head  or  veal,  but  bona  fide  turtle,  with  callipash, 
callipee,  and  forced-meat  balls. 

William  Leggett  (heretofore  mentioned),  formerly  a 
midshipman  in  the  Navy,  who  had  resigned  in  1826, 
began  editing  and  publishing  a  paper  termed  the  Critic ; 
but  as  his  forcible  arguments  and  caustic  articles  could 
not  sustain  it,  it  soon  expired.  After  this  he  was 
associated  with  William  C.  Bryant  in  the  Evening  Post,  at 
10  Pine  Street.  An  article  of  his,  published  some  years 
later  (I  think  in  about  1832),  in  condemnation  of  the 
(xovernor's  appointing  a  day  of  Thanksgiving,  which  he 
held  to  be  the  loss  of  a  day's  wages  to  the  workingman, 
was  written  with  a  degree  of  vigor  and  emphasis  for 
which  he  was  without  a  superior. 

The  first  known  mention  of  a  Protestant  Episcopal 
cathedral  was  in  this  year.  Philip  Hone  in  his  "  Diary  " 
records  that  in  November  Bishop  Hobart  called  upon  him 
and  opened  the  project  of  building  a  cathedral  on  Wash- 
ington Square.  Mr.  Hone  approved  this,  as  a  "  glorious 
project,"  and  adventurously  considered  the  site  proposed 
to  be  "the  best  in  the  city"  for  the  purpose.  How  he 
would  have  marvelled  at  the  present  site,  chosen  by  con- 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,    MAYOR  235 

servative  judgment  as  being  the  best,  though  five  and  a 
half  miles  above  Washington  Square  ! 

About  this  year  "The  Finish,"  at  the  southwest 
corner  of  Broadway  and  Anthony  (Worth)  Street,  was 
opened,  as  what  would  much  later  have  been  termed  a 
"  saloon,"  but  at  that  time  it  was  familiarly  known  as  a 
"  gin  mill,"  and  one  of  a  high  order  in  its  fittings  and 
equipments.  It  was  well  termed,  for  it  was  the  finish  of 
many  of  its  habitue's,  and  were  it  not  that  it  is  not  my  pur- 
.pose  or  province  to  exhume  painful  reminiscences,  I  could 
recite  many  mournful  cases,  alike  to  those  of  some  of  the 
inmates  of  the  poorhouse  on  Blackwell's  Island,  where 
youth,  health,  social  position,  and  wealth  were  thrown 
away,  under  the  baneful  attractions  of  this  and  similar 
places,  in  pursuit  of  pleasure. 

In  the  canvass  for  the  Presidency  in  this  year  (John 
Quincy  Adams  and  Andrew  Jackson),  party  lines  were 
very  stringently  drawn.  The  party  in  power,  the 
whilom  Federalists,  recognized  the  popularity  of  General 
Jackson,  and  in  view  to  weaken  it,  every  act  of  his,  pub- 
lic or  private,  that  could  be  brought  to  his  disadvantage, 
was  published  and  disseminated;  notably  his  duel  with 
Dickinson,*  his  hanging  of  Arbuthnot  and  Ambrister, 
two  subjects  of  Great  Britain,  who  furnished  the  Indians 
with  whom  we  were  at  war  with  arms  and  supplies,  and 
even  the  sanctity  of  his  domestic  relations  was  invaded; 
but  the  crowning  charge  against  him  was  his  shooting 
six  militiamen  for  offences,  and  in  order  to  give  this 
the    better    effect,    handbills   were    printed    representing 

■  His  duel  was  so  exceptional  in  condition  and  result  that  it  is  worthy 
of  notice  :  pistols  at  eight  paces,  and  toss  for  fire.  Dickinson  won  it, 
his  ball  wounding  Jackson  in  the  breast,  from  which  he  never  fully  re- 
covered, hut  he  did  not  flinch,  as  he  was  unwilling  that  his  adversary 
should  know  he  was  wounded;  whereupon  Dickinson  exclaimed,  "  Great 
God,  have  I  missed  him?"  Jackson  then  fired  and  wounded  him  so 
that  he  died  soon  after. 


236  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

a  coffin,  skull,  and  cross-bones,  with  a  recital  to  the 
effect  that  General  Jackson  in  his  campaign  had  un- 
lawfully caused  six  militiamen  to  be  shot,  which  charge 
was  made  more  effective  by  setting  it  forth  in  the  fol- 
lowing verse: 

All  six  militiamen  were  shot, 

And,  oh  !  it  seems  to  me 
A  bloody  act,  a  bloody  deed, 

Of  merciless  cruelty. 

These  were  published  and  widely  scattered  by  a  well- 
known  politician  in  Philadelphia,  and  known  as  his 
"Coffin  Handbills."  Jackson's  hanging  of  Arbuthnot 
and  Ambrister  was  also  set  forth  as  a  heinous  offence, 
although  the  British  Government  did  not  make  any  pro- 
test regarding  the  matter.  A  Democratic  paper  in  this 
city  on  the  occasion  of  Adams,  who  was  then  President, 
passing  through  here  to  his  home  in  Massachusetts,  semi- 
seriously  published  that,  in  paying  his  passage  on  board 
the  Sound  steamer,  he  offered  some  of  these  bills  in  part 
payment. 

A  well-known  figure  in  society  was  William  E.  McLeod, 
an  ex-officer  in  a  British  regiment  of  Highlanders,  whose 
father  fell  at  Waterloo.  He  was  the  second  of  Barton 
in  his  duel  with  Graham. 

James  K.  Paulding,  a  popular  author,  published  "  The 
New  Pilgrim's  Progress,"  a  burlesque  on  the  guide-books 
and  writings  of  English  travellers,  and  a  satire  on  fashion- 
able life  in  this  city.  In  1826  appeared  his  "Merry  Tales 
of  Three  Wise  Men  of  Gotham  who  went  to  sea  in  a 
bowl,"  a  satire  upon  the  writings  of  Robert  Dale  Owen, 
an  Englishman,  who  was  notorious  for  the  publication  of 
his  peculiar  proposals  for  a  change  in  our  social  relations, 
and  in  this  year  for  his  publication  of  "The  Free  En- 
quirer." In  1S07  Paulding  was  associated  with  Washing- 
ton Irving  in  the  publication  of  their  inimitable  "  Salma- 


WILLIAM    PAULDING,   MAYOR  237 

gundi,"  or  the  "  Whim-whams  and  Opinions  of  Launcelot 
Langstaff,  Esq.,  and  others." 

In  evidence  of  the  decadence  of  ship-building  in  this 
city  in  late  years,  there  were  at  this  time,  of  my  personal 
knowledge,  ten  ship-yards  where  vessels  of  all  descrip- 
tions were  built;  viz.  :  David  Brown's,  Jacob  Bell's, 
Christian  Bergh's,  Fickett  &  Thomes's,  Lawrence  & 
Sneden's,  Smith  &  Dimon's,  Jabez  Williams's,  Jacob  A. 
Westervelt's  (since  Mayor  of  this  city),  Webb  &  Allen's, 
and  S.  &  F.  Fickett's;  added  to  which  there  were  several 
ship-carpenters  without  yards,  that  repaired  vessels;  as 
Henry  Steers,  Cornelius  Poillon,  etc.,  etc. 

The  American  Institute  was  chartered. 

1829.  January  26  Pump  Street,  running  from  Division 
to  Collect  Street,  was  changed  to  Walker  Street;  this  was 
before  Canal  Street,  in  name,  was  continued  to  East 
Broadway.  Reason,  from  Macdougal  Street  to  where  it 
crossed  Asylum,  was  changed  to  Barrow  Street.  In 
April  Beaver  Lane  was  changed  to  Morris  Street,  and 
Herring,  from  Carmine  to  Bank  Street,  became  Bleecker 
Street.  In  May  Barrow  was  changed  to  Grove  Street. 
Clinton  Market,  on  Washington,  Spring,  Canal,  and  West 
streets,  was  opened  in  April.  Arden,  from  Bleecker  to 
Bedford,  was  changed  to  Morton;  David,  from  Broadway 
to  Herring,  changed  to  Bleecker  Street. 

In  February  canvas-back  ducks  were  sold  for  fifty  cents 
a  brace,  and  venison  brought  the  price  of  beef. 

Early  in  this  year  a  steam  locomotive,  built  in  Eng- 
land by  the  celebrated  George  Stephenson,  was  exhibited 
in  the  iron-yard  of  E.  Dunscomb  in  Water  near  Frank- 
fort  Street. 

There  was  an  elite  private  fancy  ball  given  in  January 
of  this  year  by  two  residents  of  Bowling  Green,  an  open- 
ing between  their  houses  having  been  made  for  the 
occasion,  and  the  affair  was  one  of  great  interest  in 
society.     Two  mask  and  fancy  balls  given  at   the   Park 


238 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


NIBLOS   BROADWAY   STAGE. 


Theatre  were  so  fully  and  fashionably  attended  that 
proprietors  of  other  theatres  and  halls  essayed  similar 
enterprises;  and  as  the  patronage  under  less  stringent 
requirements  and  observances,  and  in  different  locations, 
became  less  and  less  select,  these  affairs  grew  offensive 
to  propriety,  and  the  Press,  in  behalf  of  the  citizens, 
asked  of  the  Legislature  an  Act  designed  to  suppress  the 
growing  evil.  It  was  enacted  that  all  like  assemblies 
should  be  subject  to  a  fine  of  one  thousand  dollars, 
one-half  to  be  paid  to-  the  informer  of  the  violation 
of  law. 

The  Sabbatarians  of  the  period,  having  obtained  a  great 


WALTER    BOWNE,    MAYOR  239 

number  of  petitions  to  Congress  asking  for  the  arrest  of 
the  running  and  delivery  of  the  mails  on  Sundays,  a  public 
meeting  was  called  by  the  merchants,  and  others,  to 
protest  against  such  action  by  the  National  Legislature. 

In  evidence  of  the  value  of  real  estate  at  this  time, 
the  two-story  house  and  lot,  Xo.  17  Broadway,  adjoining 
the  present  Stevens  House,  44  feet  9^4  inches  front, 
and  118  feet  in  depth,  sold  at  public  sale  in  April  for 
nineteen  thousand  dollars. 

Andrew  J.  Davis  and  Ithiel  Town  &  Thompson,  archi- 
tects, had  offices  in  the  Merchants'  Exchange,  and  they 
were  the  only  parties  known  exclusively  as  architects  in 
the  city. 

1829,  James  Thompson  opened  his  first  confectionery 
at  8  Arcade  and  also  at  32  Liberty  Street.  In  1832  he 
removed  to  176  Broadway,  in  1835  to  172  and  235  Broad- 
way, and  in  185 1  to  359  Broadway,  near  Franklin  Street, 
where,  in  the  character  of  his  patrons  and  of  his  enter- 
tainment, he  was  a  worthy  follower  of  Guerin,  before 
referred  to. 

There  were  two  lines,  the  Despatch  and  L'nion,  of 
steamboats  and  stages  combined,  running  between  this 
city  and  Philadelphia.  In  the  summer  season  the  stages 
ran  only  to  Bordentown  or  Bristol,  and  thence  steamboats 
were  taken  to  Philadelphia.  The  opposition  between 
them  was  very  warm;  so  much  so  that  the  arrival  of 
each  line  in  this  city  was  noticed  in  the  papers  of  the 
next  day;  the  time  usually  half  or  three-quarters  past 
three   p.  m. 

In  April,  at  the  Park  Theatre,  first  appeared  Charles 
R.  Thome,  afterward  well  known  to  our  public  as  actor 
and  manager. 

April  11  the  Lafayette  Theatre  was  entirely  destroyed 
by  fire;   it  was  not  rebuilt. 

In  May  Ogden  Hoffman,  a  brilliant  and  popular  orator, 
was  appointed   District  Attorney.      On  the  25th   of  the 


240  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

month  the  Morning  Courier  and  New  York  Enquirer, 
edited  by  James  Watson  Webb  and  M.  M.  Noah,  appeared. 

The  first  operating  locomotive  introduced  into  this 
country  was  one  which  had  been  procured  in  England 
by  Horatio  Allen,  and  it  was  put  in  operation  at  the  West 
Point  Foundry  Shop  in  Beach  Street,  in  this  month.  Its 
power  was  estimated  at  nine  horses,  pressure  of  steam 
sixty  pounds  per  square  inch,  and  its  capacity  five  miles 
per  hour  with  a  train  of  from  sixty  to  eighty  tons. 

James  H.  Hackett,  who  had  become  lessee  of  the  Chat- 
ham Garden  Theatre,  renamed  it  with  the  ambitious  title 
of  American  Opera  House  and  opened  it  late  in  May. 
September  i  he  abandoned  the  enterprise. 

In  June  James  G.  Bennett,  an  associate  editor  of  the 
late  New  York  Enquirer,  issued  a  proposal  for  a  paper 
to  be  called  the  New  York  State  Enquirer. 

June  4  the  magazine  of  the  steam  frigate  Fulton  (the 
Flogobombos  of  Dr.  Samuel  L.  Mitchell),  in  service  at 
the  Navy  Yard,  Brooklyn,  as  receiving-ship,  exploded 
and  killed  one  lieutenant  and  twenty-three  marines, 
wounding  seventy-two  of  the  crew,  with  six  missing.  I 
was  at  the  time  on  board  of  the  steamboat  Citizen,  then  in 
process  of  construction  at  the  head  of  Water  Street,  wit- 
nessed the  explosion,  and  visited  the  wreck  immediately 
afterward.  The  Citizen  was  the  second  steamboat  Cap- 
tain Vanderbilt  owned  (the  Bellona,  built  in  1816,  a  gift 
from  William  Gibbons,  being  the  first),  and  the  first  that 
he  built.  The  first  he  commanded  was  the  Stoughtenger 
(in  derision  she  was  called  "The  Mouse  out  of  the  Moun- 
tain"), seventy-five  feet  in  length,  propelled  by  what 
were  termed  paddles,  but  they  were  strictly  palmipedes,  in 
order  to  evade  the  Fulton  claim  for  side-wheels.  This  at- 
tempt was  a  signal  failure.  The  Bellona  was  fitted  with 
like  propulsion,  but  it  being  condemned  as  useless,  she 
was  fitted  with  side-wheels,  and  from  this  arose  the  liti- 
gation between  William  Gibbons  and  (iouverneur  Ogden, 


WALTER    BOWNE,   MAYOR  241 

in  which  Daniel  Webster  was  engaged,  as  to  the  exclu- 
sive right  of  Fulton  and  his  associate  Livingston  to 
steam  navigation  on  the  waters  of  the  Hudson,  a  claim 
which  the  United  States  Supreme  Court  declared  to  be 
invalid. 

August  1  the  fare  of  foot  passengers  over  the  Hoboken 
ferries  was  reduced  from  12^  to  6%  cents. 

Henry  Placide  of  the  Park  Theatre  was  without  an 
equal  as  a  general  actor  of  this  period  ;  always  correct 
and  often  brilliant  ;  a  universal  favorite,  whether  as  Sir 
Peter  Teazle,  Baron  Pompolino,  or  the  schoolboy  with  an 
apron  eating  gingerbread,  on  the  stage,  or  as  a  genial 
gentleman  off  it. 

September  5  James  G.  Bennett  announced  his  edito- 
rial connection  with  the  Morning  Courier  and  New  York 
Enquirer,  and  that  he  would  support  strict  Republican 
(Democratic)  usages  and  principles. 

This  autumn  the  Park  Theatre  occupied  the  field  vir- 
tually alone.  The  Lafayette  had  been  burned,  and  the 
Chatham  was  given  over  to  negro  burlettas  and  the  like, 
before  vulgar  audiences.  At  Forrest's  benefit  in  Decem- 
ber John  A.  Stone's  "  Metamora  "  was  produced,  for  the 
first  time  on  any  stage.  Early  in  the  next  year  was  given, 
with  success,  a  new  farce  by  Charles  P.  Clinch,  entitled 
"The  First  of  May  in  New  York." 

The  firing  of  buildings  at  this  time  and  for  some  weeks 
previous  was  of  so  frequent  occurrence  that  citizens  were 
called  upon  to  organize  a  night  patrol. 

This  was  the  year  of  the  "burking"  excitement,  begin- 
ning with  reports  that  several  persons  had  disappeared 
unaccountably.  The  public  mind  was  already  full  of  the 
atrocious  murders  committed  in  Edinburgh  by  Burke  and 
Hare  and  their  accomplices,  who  decoyed  poor  people 
and  stragglers  into  secluded  places  and  there  murdered 
them,  merely  to  get  bodies  to  sell  to  the  anatomists  ;  thus 
making,  as  Sir  Walter  Scott  said,  "an  end  of  the  Cantabit 


242  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

vacuus,*  the  last  prerogative  of  beggary,  which  entitled 
him  to  laugh  at  the  risk  of  robbery."  With  Burke's 
deeds  fresh  in  memory,  it  was  easy  to  connect  horrid 
imaginings  with  the  stories,  either  true  or  false,  of  unex- 
plained disappearances  in  New  York,  and  thus  a  great 
excitement  and  wide-spread  terror  were  engendered. 
Women  and  children  never  ventured  forth  alone  after 
nightfall,  and  citizens  generally  were  armed  during  their 
evening  walks,  though  only  with  heavy  sticks.  The  delu- 
sion was  specially  prevalent  among  the  negroes,  who 
almost  universally  kept  close  within  doors  during  the 
dark  hours.  It  was  a  considerable  time  before  public  feel- 
ing on  this  subject  abated  and  there  was  any  cessation  of 
the  wild  tales  that  had  agitated  the  community,  though 
having  very  little  if  any  serious  foundation. 

Charles  Henry  Hall,  who  had  been  bookkeeper  for 
Thomas  H.  Smith  &  Son,  the  great  India  merchants  in 
South,  near  Roosevelt  Street,  occupied  from  1823  the 
house  and  grounds  on  Broadway  and  Prince  Street  em- 
ployed by  William  Niblo  as  a  garden  and  theatre  in  1829, 
where  the  Metropolitan  Hotel  and  Theatre  lately  stood. 
Hall  in  this  year  (1829)  removed  to  Harlem,  occupying 
extensive  grounds  near  Sixth  Avenue  and  One  hundred 
and  Twenty-fifth  Street,  having  purchased  them  of  John 
Adriance  June  27,  1825. 

*  "  Cantabit  vacuus  coram  latrone  viator." — Juvenal. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
183O-1831. — WALTER     BOWNE,     MAYOR 

1830.  Tompkins  Market  on  Third  Avenue,  Sixth  and 
Seventh  streets,  was  erected;  it  was  rebuilt  in  1852. 
Chapel  Street,  which  had  been  widened  from  Leonard, 
was  widened  from  Chambers  to  Barclay  Street  and 
named  College  Place.  Marketfield,  west  of  Broadway, 
was  changed  to  Battery  Place.  Pine  Street  was  widened 
at  corner  of  William,  and  Ann  widened  to  Nassau  Street. 

In  this  year  there  were  fully  nine  lines  of  foreign 
sailing  packets,  viz.  :  Belfast,  Carthagena,  Greenock, 
Havana,  Havre,  Hull,  Liverpool,  London,  and  Vera  Cruz; 
and  of  domestic  there  were  four,  viz.  :  Charleston, 
Mobile,  Xew  Orleans,  and  Savannah. 

About  this  date  the  wooden  picket-fence  that  had 
inclosed  St.  John's  Park,  at  Hudson,  Laight,  Yarick,  and 
Beach  streets,  was  replaced  with  iron.  This  property 
was  held  in  common  by  the  abutting  owners,  and  was 
availed  of  solely  by  them,  each  being  in  possession  of  a 
key  wherewith  to  enter  it.  For  many  years  the  neigh- 
borhood was  one  of  the  very  highly  aristocratic  portions 
of  the  city.  In  1869  this  Park  was  purchased  by  Cap- 
tain Vanderbilt  in  behalf  of  the  Xew  York  Central  & 
Hudson  River  R.  R.,  and  on  it  were  erected  store-houses 
for  a  freight  station  and  depot.  The  uptown  movement 
had  for  some  time  affected  the  Park  vicinity  unfavorably, 
and  this  change  by  Yanderbilt  completed  the  destruction 
of  one  of  the  most  agreeable  residence  quarters  known 
in  New  York. 


244  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

In  January  the  Chatham  Garden  Theatre  was  revived 
as  Blanchard's  Amphitheatre.  Under  this  style  very  good 
equestrian  performances,  with  rope-dancing  and  the  like, 
were  offered. 

May  2,  James  Watson  Webb  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer, 
feeling  aggrieved  at  some  action  of  Duff  Green,  editor  of 
a  paper  in  Washington,  went  there  for  the  purpose  of 
'resenting  the  charge  against  him  by  punishing  Green, 
who,  upon  the  appearance  of  Webb  in  a  threatening 
manner,  drew  from  his  breast  a  pistol  and  presented  it 
at  Webb,  who  immediately  ceased  all  hostile  demonstra- 
tion, and  on  his  return  to  New  York  published  an  article 
over  his  name,  relating  the  meeting  with  Green  on  the 
steps  of  the  Capitol,  and  that  the  pistol  was  of  a  given 
length  with  a  mahogany  stock.  The  article  was  held  to 
be  very  injudicious  and  humiliating  to  his  friends.  Ben- 
nett, upon  his  publication  of  the  Herald  in  1838,  took 
advantage  of  it;  and  for  a  long  while  after,  when  he 
referred  to  Webb,  it  was  "  mahogany  stock,"  "barrel 
and  all,"  etc. 

A  new  line  to  Philadelphia  was  established  in  the 
spring  :  running  time  (by  steamboats  and  coaches), 
twelve  hours — mirabile  dietu  ! 

About  this  period  India-rubber  overshoes  first 
appeared  ;  the  exact  date  I  cannot  give.  They  were 
wholly  made  of  pure  rubber,  and  were  very  rough  and 
unsightly  in  fashion.  Prior  to  this,  provident  elderly 
persons  wore  overshoes  of  leather,  men  and  boys  greased 
their  boots  or  shoes  in  winter,  or  suffered  with  wet  feet. 

The  popular  letters  of  Major  Jack  Downing  first 
appeared  in  the  New  York  Advertiser.  They  assumed  to 
be  from  the  pen  of  an  Eastern  pedler,  who  having  been 
intimate  with  General  Jackson,  the  President,  they 
jointly  occupied  a  bed,  and  he  addressed  him  in  that 
strain.  They  were  written  by  Charles  Augustus  Davis 
of  this  city. 


WALTER    BOWXE,    MAYOR  245 

In  July  a  trotting  course  was  opened  on  the  ground 
in  front  of  the  "  Kensington  House  "  of  William  Xiblo, 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Old  Boston  Road  at  Seventieth 
Street,  which  he  had  opened  several  years  before. 

July  14,  a  committee  of  citizens  who  had  previously 
been  associated  for  the  purpose  of  revising  the  existing 
municipal  laws,  and  submitting  a  report  thereon,  with 
such  recommendations  as  they  deemed  proper,  was  organ- 
ized; the  late  Mayor  William  Paulding  being  appointed 
chairman. 

September  i,  Charles  Kean  made  his  first  appearance 
at  the  Park  Theatre  in  "Richard  III.,"  before  a  great 
audience.  Booth  was  playing  tragedy  at  the  "  Bowery  " 
Theatre  at  this  time,  and  the  rival  performances  were 
very  interesting  to  the  public.  Kean  may  be  said  to 
have  laid  here  the  foundation  of  his  great  reputation. 
He  returned  to  England  in  1833,  when  his  countrymen 
acceded  to  the  American  opinion  of  him.  He  revisited 
this  country  in  1839,  and  again  in  1845  with  his  wife 
(Ellen  Tree),  when  they  made  a  highly  successful  tour 
through  the  States,  returning  to  England  in  the  spring 
of  1847. 

September  10,  John  Henry  Hobart,  Bishop  of  New 
York,  died  at  Auburn,  X.  V.,  and  on  the  16th  occurred  his 
funeral,  a  very  solemn  and  impressive  sight.  The  pro- 
cession is  said  to  have  contained  five  thousand  persons, 
and  the  streets  were  thronged  through  which  it  passed. 
The  funeral  service  was  performed  in  Trinity  Church. 
Bishop  Hobart  was  a  great  man  and  born  ruler,  and  a 
very  eminent  citizen  of  New  York.  He  at  one  time 
became  engaged  in  a  polemical  discussion  with  Dr. 
Mason,  who  was  termed  the  Goliath  of  Calvinism,  and  of 
Hobart's  defence  the  lines  of  Sir  Walter  Scott  in  his 
"  Lady  of  the  Lake  "  were  aptly  quoted: 

"  While  less  expert,  though  stronger  far, 
The  Gael  maintain'd  unequal  war." 


246  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

Bishop  Hobart's  monument  was  placed  on  the  rear  wall 
of  Trinity  Church  (not  the  present  structure,  but  the 
building  demolished  in  1839),  in  a  shallow  recess  built  to 
receive  it.  The  Bishop  died  in  the  decline  of  the  day, 
and,  it  was  said,  desired  to  be  raised  in  his  bed  to  look 
for  the  last  time  upon  the  setting  sun.  The  artist  found 
the  motive  of  his  work  in  this  incident,  and  placed  his 
subject  raised  and  supported  by  Faith,  and  gazing  upon 
the  effulgence  shining  from  the  Sun  of  Righteousness 
as  represented  by  a  halo-crowned  cross.  This  is  the 
monument  still  to  be  seen  in  the  new  Trinity  Church. 
It  is  built  into  the  south  wall  of  the  chancel,  facing  the 
second  room  of  the  sacristy  on  that  side  of  the  church. 

October  the  Rev.  B.  T.  Onderdonk,  an  assistant  min- 
ister of  Trinity  Parish,  was  elected  Bishop  to  succeed  Dr. 
Hobart.  All  the  previous  Bishops  of  New  York,  Pro- 
voost,  Moore,  and  Hobart,  had  been  Rectors  of  Trinity. 

October  22,  Master  Burke,  of  Ireland,  termed  "  the 
Young  Roscius,"  made  his  first  appearance  at  the  Park 
Theatre  as  Young  Norval,  and  Dr.  O' Toole  in  "The  Irish 
Tutor."  Though  under  twelve  years  of  age  he  was 
recognized  as  a  star  in  Hamlet,  a  character  which  he  had 
assumed  at  five  years.  Besides  the  parts  he  played  on 
his  first  night  at  the  Park,  he  led  the  orchestra  in  an 
overture  and  sang  a  comic  song.  Burke  was  an  attrac- 
tion here  for  several  seasons;  thereafter  he  returned  to 
Europe,  abandoned  the  drama,  and  became  a  violinist,  in 
which  capacity  he  was  heard  here  in  high-class  concerts 
in  the  fifties.  I  am  told  he  was  a  member  of  Jullien's 
orchestra. 

1 1c  was  a  precocious  youth  and  very  clever.  1  travelled 
in  company  with  him  and  his  father,  hence  to  Boston  iia 
steamboat,  and  was  much  amused  with  him. 

In  this  year  Thos.  S.  Hamblin  secured  the  lease  of  the 
"  Bowery"  Theatre,  where  he  continued  for  a  long  time 
as  sole  manager. 


249 

The  Book  of  Mormon  of  Joseph  Smith,  alleged  by  him 
to  have  been  found,  was  first  published  in  this  year.  It 
is  claimed,  however,  that  the  book  was  written  by  a 
clergyman  at  Mormon  Hill  in  1819;  being  essentially  a 
plagiarism  of  a  romance,  which  was  clandestinely  taken 
or  copied  by  a  printer,  and  adopted  as  the  Bible  of  the 
"  Latter  Day  Saints,"  as  Smith  and  his  proselytes  termed 
themselves. 

November  26  witnessed  a  great  civil  and  military  dis- 
play. There  had  been  a  meeting  of  citizens  at  Tammany 
Hall  on  November  12,  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a 
celebration  in  honor  of  the  dethronement  of  Charles  X.  of 
France.  Ex-President  Monroe  presided,  and  as  Evacua- 
tion Day,  the  25th  inst.,  was  soon  to  occur,  it  was 
selected  as  the  day  for  the  celebration.  Samuel  Swart- 
wout  was  appointed  grand  marshal  and  Samuel  L. 
Gouverneur,  orator.  Philip  Hone  was  chairman  of  the 
committee  of  arrangements.  The  weather  on  the  ap- 
pointed date  being  adverse  to  such  a  display,  it  was  post- 
poned to  the  following  day,  which  being  propitious,  the 
affair  was  most  successful,  in  consequence  of  the  very 
general  presence  of  manufacturers  and  tradesmen  with 
emblems  of  their  employ,  cadets  from  West  Point,  the 
military  and  citizens,  among  whom  were  conspicuous  a 
party  of  persons  who  had  been  actors  in  some  of  the 
scenes  of  the  Revolution  :  Alexander  Whaley,  of  the 
"Boston  Tea  Party";  Enoch  Crosby,  the  Harvey  Birch 
of  Cooper's  "Spy";  David  Williams,  one  of  the  captors 
of  Major  Andre;  John  Van  Arsdale,  who  hauled  down 
the  British  Hag  on  the  Battery  on  the  evacuation  of  the 
city,  and  Anthony  Glenn,  a  Naval  Officer  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, bearing  the  flag  he  hoisted  in  its  place.  During  the 
progress  of  the  march  a  section  of  a  steam  boiler  was 
ri vetted,  and  an  arm-chair  was  manufactured  and  pre- 
sented to  the  presiding  officer.  The  route  was  at  least 
two  and  a  half  miles  long,  and  when  the  head  of  the  pro- 


250 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


cession   reached  Washington   Parade  Ground,  where  the 
exercises  took  place,  the  rear  was  not  yet  in  motion. 

There  were  at  this  period,  in  addition   to   Cato's   and 
Burnham's,  before  referred  to,  and  had  been   for  many 


^.-r* 


THK    WALTON    HOUSE    IN    LATER    YEARS 


years  preceding,  several  public  or  roadside  houses,  which 
were  daily  frequented  by  the  gentlemen  who  kept  horses 
and  wagons.  These  were  that  of  John  Snediker  on  the 
Jamaica  Road,  celebrated  for  his  asparagus  dinners; 
"  Nick  "  Vandyne's,  on  the  hill  at  Flatbush,  where  the 
widow   dispensed    liquors  and   gossip;    it    was    at   Cato's 


WALTER    BOWNE,    MAYOR  25 1 

that  the  horsemen  of  the  day  convened,  notably  Captain 
Cornelius  Vanderbilt,  the  Pearsalls,  Richard  T.  Carman, 
Edward  Minturn,  John  and  Gerard  Coster,  and  a  host  of 
others;  Widow  Bradshaw's,  corner  of  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty-fifth  Street  and  Third  Avenue,  whose  chicken 
fricassees  were  universally  acknowledged  to  be  a  marvel 
and  an  "institution";  they  were  as  well  known  as  Mrs. 
Dominy's  "chunk  apple  "  and  clam  pot-pies  at  Fire  Island. 
In  addition  to  the  open  piazza  in  front  and  the  fricassees, 
the  place  was  held  to  be  the  termination  of  a  drive,  and  as 
a  result,  on  a  favorable  day  for  driving,  the  house  was  well 
attended.  I  have  cited  this  year  as  I  am  ignorant  of  the 
precise  year  of  her  advent,  so  I  give  the  one  in  which  I  first 
visited  her  and  Burnham's  at  Broadway  and  Seventy-eighth 
and  Seventy-ninth  streets.  As  several  of  our  young  men, 
residing  in  the  lower  part  of  the  city,  stabled  in  Brooklyn, 
it  was  very  convenient  for  them  to  drive  to  Jamaica 
and  Flatbush.  Coney  Island  was  then  little  else  than  a 
place  where  parties  sometimes  went  to  bathe  and  then  eat 
roast  clams  at  Cropsey  &  Woglum's  or  Wyckoff  s  on  the 
beach. 

In  an  earlier  chapter  I  have  adverted  to  the  primitive 
methods  employed  in  striking  a  light.  About  this  period, 
however,  there  was  introduced  a  brimstone  match,  which 
was  so  universally  used  that  children  sold  them  in  the 
streets,  with  as  much  persistency  of  application  as  they 
now  practise  in  vending  newspapers.  These  matches 
were  made  of  narrow  pine-wood  shavings,  planed  off  in  a 
manner  so  as  to  form  a  spiral,  cut  in  lengths  of  about  five 
inches,  and  their  ends  dipped  in  melted  sulphur. 

Mrs.  Vernon,  nie  Fisher,  appeared  for  the  first  time  at 
the  Park  Theatre,  in  December.  In  her  line  of  acting 
she  was  unsurpassed,  correct  in  her  diction  and  imper- 
sonation. A  great  number  of  New  Yorkers  will  remem- 
ber her  as  one  of  the  chief  ornaments  of  Wallack's 
admirable  stock  company  in  days  comparatively  modern." 


252 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


Iii  or  about  the  year  1884  she  appeared  at  the  Star 
Theatre  on  some  special  occasion,  and,  as  it  occurred, 
there  were  several  of  the  audience  who  had  witnessed 
and  enjoyed  her  performances  in  long-previous  years,  and 
upon  her  entrance  on  the  stage,  one  of  the  number  rising 

to  applaud,  the  rest 
joined,  and  rarely,  if 
ever,  did  1  witness  a 
more  enthusiastic  re- 
ception. 

The  Manhattan  Gas 
Light  Company  was 
incorporated  with  a 
capital  of  five  hundred 
thousand  dollars  to 
supply  the  upper  part 
of  the  island. 
Thomas  M.  Jackson, 


TRINITY  (  HURCH  OF   i7>yS.     TAKEN    DOWN   IN   1839 


WALTER    BOWNE,   MAYOR  253 

colored,  opened  in  this  year  an  oyster-cellar  and  restau- 
rant at  47  Howard  Street,  west  of  Broadway  ;  it  was  a 
favorite  and  very  popular  resort,  and  deservedly  so,  as 
he  kept  good  articles  and  was  very  civil  and  attentive  to 
his  customers.  He  also  was  popular  as  a  caterer  for 
public  and  private  festivities. 

The  first  locomotive  in  this  country,  before  referred 
to,  was  forwarded  from  this  city  and  operated  on  a  road 
in  South  Carolina. 

The  Christian  Intelligencer  was  established  in  this  year 
as  the  newspaper  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church. 

In  this  year,  and  for  several  years  after,  the  formation 
and  operation  of  boat  clubs  became  very  popular  with  our 
young  men  ;  our  boat-builders  were  taxed  to  fill  the  de- 
mands for  long,  narrow,  and  highly  finished  boats,  usually 
for  eight  oars  ;  the  "Barge,"  the  property  of  a  club  of 
young  men  of  our  extreme  ton,  was  double-banked  and 
eight-oared.  Annually  there  was  a  regatta  held  under 
the  direction  of  representatives  of  the  different  clubs, 
the  course  around  stake-boats,  terminating  off  the 
Battery. 

The  absence  of  ferry-boats,  barges,  tows,  and  tow-boats, 
compared  with  those  of  a  later  day,  rendered  rowing 
in  the  evening  safely  practicable,  and  New  Brighton, 
Thatched  House  at  Paulus  Hook,  Hoboken,  Elysian 
Fields,  Bull's  Ferry,  and  Fort  Lee  were  visited. 

Such  clubs  were  not  confined  to  this  city,  as  the  mania 
extended  to  Brooklyn  and  all  our  river  towns,  but  in  a  few 
years  it  diminished,  and  the  clubs  became  reduced  in 
numbers,  and  eventually  were  broken  up. 

The  will  of  Captain  Randall  (Robert  R.),  having  been 
disputed  and  in  litigation  for  many  years,  was  in  the 
preceding  year  decided  by  the  United  States  Supreme 
Court  in  its  favor,  and  the  trustees,  under  authority  of  an 
Act  of  our  Legislature,  purchased  property  on  Staten 
Island  which   it   now   occupies. 


254 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


January  10,  Lombardy  was  changed  to  Monroe  Street; 
and  Harman,  named  after  Harmanus  Rutgers,  was 
widened  on  the  east  side,  and  named  East  Broadway. 

Late    in  January   "Cinderella"    was    produced  at  the 


SIR   PETER  WARRENS  HOUSE, 
GREENWICH  VILLAGE 


Park  Theatre,  for  the  first  time.  It  had  remarkable 
success,  being  given  forty-seven  times  during  the 
season. 

In  March,  at  the  "Bowery"  Theatre,  George  Jones, 
later  known  as  the  Count  Joannes,  first  appeared  on  the 
stage,  as  the  Prince  of  Wales  in  King  Henry  IV.  Jones 
had  some  dramatic  capacity,  though  less  than  he  supposed. 
He  played  Hamlet,  late  in  1836,  at  the  National  Theatre, 
and  appeared  often  until  his  aberration  of  mind  became 
too  marked. 

March  11,  the  Chatham  Garden  and  Theatre,  passing 
from  the  control  of  Blanchard,  was  opened  as  a  theatre. 
Here  Danforth  Marble  made  his  first  appearance  on  any 


WALTER    BOWNE,   MAYOR  255 

stage,  April  n.  He  became  famous  here  and  in  England 
for  Yankee  and  other  outre  parts  long  before  his  death 
in  1849. 

In  this  year  the  first  street  railway  in  the  world,  the 
New  York  and  Harlem,  was  incorporated  with  a  capital 
of  three  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  Upon  the 
notice  of  the  commissioners  to  receive  bids  for  shares 
of  the  stock,  there  was  a  furor  among  our  citizens 
to  obtain  them,  to  be  likened  only  to  that  of  the 
"South  Sea  Bubble"  or  Law's  "Mississippi  Scheme" 
of  the  last  century.  So  great  and  general  was  the  rush 
that  an  amount  far  in  excess  of  the  capital  stock  was 
subscribed. 

The  Messrs.  Robert  L.  and  John  C.  Stevens  opened 
their  grounds  above  Castle  Point,  erected  a  house  of 
entertainment  there,  and  named  the  place  the  Elysian 
Fields.  To  celebrate  the  affair  a  large  party  of  eminent 
persons  and  well-known  citizens  was  conveyed  to  the  spot 
on  the  ferry-boat  Newark,  and  a  banquet  was  given  in 
the  open  air  on  the  lawn. 

The  University  of  New  York  was  incorporated  in  this 
year,  the  following  officers  being  elected  :  James  M. 
Matthews,  D.  D.,  Chancellor;  Albert  Gallatin,  President 
of  the  Council;  Morgan  Lewis,  Vice-President;  John 
Delafield,  Secretary;  Samuel  Ward,  Treasurer. 

March  18  the  Bachelors'  Fancy  Ball,  which  had  been 
the  subject  of  great  interest  in  the  fashionable  circle, 
took  place  at  the  City  Hotel.  In  brilliancy  and  general 
success  it  met  all  expectation. 

April  20,  William  C.  Bryant,  editor  of  the  Evening  Post, 
and  William  L.  Stone,  of  the  Commercial  Advertiser,  met 
in  Broadway  near  Park  Place,  and  a  personal  rencontre 
occurred,  Bryant  striking  Stone  with  a  cowhide,  where- 
upon they  closed  and  were  parted  by  the  bystanders. 
Stone  prevailed,  to  the  extent  of  carrying  off  the  whip 
with  which  he  had  been  attacked. 


256 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


May    15,   the    Providence   steamboats    Washington   and 

Chancel/or  Livingston  collided  in  the  morning  in  the  East 
River  off  Corlear's  Hook  (Jackson  Street),  and  the  former 
was  sunk  ;  her  boilers  of  copper  broke  loose  from  the  hull 
and  were  lost. 

June  7,  the  boiler  of  the  steamer  General  Jackson,  while 
she  was  lying  at  Grassy  Point  on  the  North  River,  burst, 
and  several  persons  were  killed.  She  was  owned  by  Cap- 
tain Cornelius  Vanderbilt,  later  designated  Commodore, 


REMSEN    HOUSE,   CHERRY,    NEAR   CLINTON   STREET 


and  commanded  by  his  brother  Jacob.  In  consequence 
of  the  charge  of  alleged  indifference  to  the  sufferers,  the 
latter  was  so  severely  censured  by  the  press  that  "  Com- 
modore" Vanderbilt,  even  so  late  as  1853,  in  a  conversa- 
tion with  me,  referred  to  what  he  averred  was  a  great 
injustice  to  his  brother. 

In  July  there  were  three  extensive  conflagrations  of 
buildings,  viz.  :  on  the  2d,  the  block  bounded  by  Fourth, 
Mercer,  Amity,  and  Greene  streets;  on  the  4th,  forty 
houses  and  stores  in  Varick,  Charleton,  and  Vandam 
streets  ;   and  on  the   1 8th,   in    Eldridge  Street,   nineteen 


WALTER    BOWNE,    MAYOR  257 

houses.  In  the  last-named  fire  three  persons  were 
burned. 

On  the  Fourth  of  July  Ex-President  James  Monroe 
died  in  the  house  of  his  son-in-law,  Samuel  L.  Gouver- 
neur,  in  this  city.  Of  four  ex-Presidents  who  then  had 
died,  Mr.  Monroe  was  the  third  to  depart  on  the  national 
anniversary,  a  coincidence  heightened  in  effect  by  the 
simultaneous  deaths  of  John  Adams  and  Thomas  Jeffer- 
son on  July  4,  1826. 

The  Mohawk  and  Hudson  Railroad  began  operations 
in  this  year,  exciting  astonishment  and  fear  by  attaining 
a  speed  of  twenty  miles  an  hour. 

The  river  route  hence  to  Peekskill,  having  for  many 
years  been  run  by  Captain  Vanderbilt,  and  the  price  of 
passage  being  such  as  the  citizens  of  Putnam  and  West- 
chester counties,  headed  by  Daniel  Drew  and  James 
Smith,  held  to  be  exorbitant,  a  number  of  them  asso- 
ciated in  a  company  and  built  a  steamer  which  forced 
Vanderbilt  to  reduce  his  fare  to  twelve  and  one-half  cents. 
In  1832,  however,  Drew  and  Smith  sold  out  to  Vander- 
bilt without  the  knowledge  or  consent  of  their  associates. 
Subsequently  Vanderbilt,  having  a  difficulty  with  one  of 
the  directors  of  the  Hudson  River  Association  hence  to 
Albany,  placed  two  boats  on  the  route,  and  at  the  end 
of  two  years  forced  them  to  a  purchase  of  his  boats,  he 
covenanting  a  cessation  of  all  interest  in  any  boat  on  the 
route  for  a  period  of  ten  years. 

This  leaving  the  route  open  to  opposition,  Drew  pur- 
chased two  boats  and  ran  them  for  one  year,  when  the 
association  joined  with  him,  and  gave  his  boats  their  pro- 
portion of  the  earnings  of  the  line.  He  then  put  a  boat 
on  the  route  under  the  alleged  ownership  and  interest  of 
another  person,  the  captain's  brother.  The  running  of 
this  boat  was  so  injurious  to  the  association  that  it  pro- 
posed to  buy  her  off,  and  named  the  price  it  was  willing 
to  give,  and  directed  Drew,  he  being  one  of  its  directors, 
9 


258 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


to  see  the  brother  and  ascertain  if  he  would  accept  the 
sum.  Whereupon  Drew  left,  and  having  walked  around 
the  block,  as  it  was  afterward  asserted,  he  returned  and 
stated  he  had  seen  the  brother  and  he  would  not  accept, 
unless  the  price  was  raised  to  eight  thousand  dollars. 
After  some  discussion  it  was  decided  to  give  it,  where- 
upon Drew  again 
walked  around 
the  block,  and, 
returning,  re- 
ported he  had 
seen  the  brother 
and  that  he  had 
accepted. 

In  this  year 
the  City  Bank 
was  entered  with 
false  keys  by  Ed- 
ward Smith  and  Rob- 
ert James  Murray, 
and  two  hundred  and 
forty  thousand  dollars 
were  stolen.  Smith 
was  arrested  soon 
after  and  the  greater 
part  of  the  money 
recovered. 
In  this  year  also  there  arrived  from  Smyrna  some 
Arabian  horses — three  in  number,  I  think — under  the  care 
of  Charles  Rhind,  our  consul,  being  a  present  from  the 
Sublime  Porte  to  President  Jackson;  but  as  he  was  con- 
stitutionally precluded  from  the  acceptance  of  presents 
from  any  potentate,  they  were  sold,  and  brought  five 
hundred  dollars  each. 

Henry  Eckford,  who  had  designed  the  United  States 
ship  of  the  line  Ohio,  and  had  built  a  vessel  of  war  for  the 


APTHORPE   MANSION,  BLOOMING- 
DALE  ROAD 


WALTER    BOWXE,    MAYOR  259 

Turkish  government,  was  induced  by  that  government  to 
enter  its  service.  Soon  after  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Eckford 
in  Turkey  the  Sultan  remarked  :  "The  United  States 
must  be  a  great  country  when  it  can  spare  such  men  as 
you."  He  took  with  him  Foster  Rhodes,  afterward 
well  known,  not  only  as  an  eminent  designer  of  vessels, 
but  one  whose  attainments  in  naval  architecture  were  of 
a  very  high  order.  Yet,  upon  his  return  being  appointed 
a  naval  constructor  in  our  navy,  George  Bancroft,  the 
Secretary  of  the  Navy,  in  one  of  his  erratic  impulses 
detached  him  from  a  yard  at  the  North,  where  vessels 
were  being  built,  and  detailed  him  to  the  navy  yard  at 
Pensacola,  Fla.,  where  there  was  neither  the  material  nor 
plant  for  the  construction  of  even  a  launch. 

The  summer  of  183 1  witnessed  the  success  at  the  Chat- 
ham Garden  Theatre  of  George  Handel  Hill  ("Yankee 
Hill"),  who,  in  his  Yankee  delineations,  made  for  himself 
a  wide  reputation.  He  was  at  the  Park  Theatre  in  1832, 
and  travelled  extensively  in  this  country  afterward; 
then  in  1838  and  1833  he  was  highly  successful  in  London, 
and  even  in  Paris.      He  died  in  1849. 

In  September,  first  appeared  Josephine  Clifton,  a  woman 
of  extremely  handsome  person,  who  became  a  great 
favorite  here  and  in  London  (in  1835).  In  1S37  she  was 
a  member  of  the  Park  Company.  She  died  ten  years 
later.  A  woman  of  large  and  increasing  proportions, 
she  became  at  last  too  indolent  to  study;  with  greater 
diligence  and  perhaps  more  mind,  she  could  have  accom- 
plished anything. 

Late  in  September,  Forrest  was  first  seen  in  "The 
Gladiators,"  the  well-known  play  written  for  him  by  Dr. 
Bird  of  Philadelphia. 

In  the  death  on  September  7  of  Samuel  L.  Mitchell, 
M.  I).,  LL.  D.,  New  York  lost  one  of  her  foremost 
citizens.  A  professor  in  Columbia  College  and  in  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,    he  was   an   excep- 


260  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

tionally  zealous  and  laborious  savant;  the  scope  and  ver- 
satility of  his  studies  and  attainments  were  so  well  known 
that  he  was  the  standard  of  reference  in  all  physical 
investigations  and  questions.  Besides  this,  he  had 
eminent  public  spirit  and  mingled  much  in  affairs, 
becoming  member  of  the  Legislature  of  the  State,  mem- 
ber of  Congress,  and  Senator.  The  ready  manner  in 
which  he  responded  to  all  calls  upon  his  consideration, 
combined  with  an  unusual  ingenuousness  of  action,  caused 
him  to  be  the  butt  of  many  inconsiderate  and  unworthy 
questions.  He  was  once  asked  why  black  sheep  ate  less 
than  white  ones,  and  after  some  hesitation  quietly  replied: 
"I  recognize  no  other  reason  than  there  are  less  of 
them." 

Pine  Street  was  again  widened,  between  Nassau  and 
Pearl  streets. 

A  Mr.  Anderson,  an  English  actor,  on  his  arrival  here 
was  charged  by  a  fellow-passenger,  an  American,  with 
having  made  some  very  unjust  and  ill-natured  remarks 
during  the  passage  regarding  Americans.  Upon  the  an- 
nouncement of  his  engagement  at  the  Park  Theatre  the 
charges  were  publicly  reported,  and  as  a  result,  the 
house  on  the  evening  of  his  appearance,  October  13,  was 
filled  with  some  of  our  indignant  citizens  who  had  indi- 
vidually assembled,  without  any  previous  association, 
and  upon  the  entrance  of  Anderson  on  the  stage  he  was 
greeted  with  hisses,  missiles,  etc.,  so  persistently  main- 
tained that  the  performance  was  arrested.  Nevertheless, 
Anderson  was  announced  for  the  evening  of  October  15, 
in  the  same  part  (Henry  Bertram,  in  the  opera  "Guy 
Mannering.")  On  this  occasion  the  theatre  was  filled  to 
overflowing  with  men  only,  who  were  determined  to  pre- 
vent Anderson's  performance.  When  it  was  attempted 
to  read  his  apology,  a  riot  broke  out  which  was  not  the 
least  diminished  by  announcement  that  the  actor's  engage- 
ment  had   been   cancelled   and    that    the  play  would  be 


WALTER    BOWNE,    MAYOR 


26l 


changed.  As  usual  in  such  cases,  the  riot  spread  far  be- 
yond the  designs  of  its  originators  and  became  the 
causeless,  silly,  or  malicious  outbreak  of  evil-disposed 
persons.  It  continued  during  the  next  day  (Sunday), 
and  in  the  evening  of  that  day  an  attack  was  made  on 
the  theatre,  the  doors  and  windows  being  battered  in. 
"Old  Hays"  and  his  men  after  a  time  restored  com- 
parative order,  and  on  Monday  the  mob  was  appeased 
by  sight  of  the  front  of  the  theatre  covered  with  Ameri- 
can flags,  patriotic  transparencies,  etc.,  and  no  further 
violence  occurred. 

October  27,  Chancellor  Walworth  laid  the  corner-stone 
of  the  Sailors'  Snug  Harbor  on  Staten  Island,  under  the 
bequest  of  Captain  Robert  Richard  Randall. 

November,  I  shot  a  ruffed  grouse  (vulgo  partridge)  at 
Breakneck  Hill  on  the  estate  of  Madame  Jumel,  One 
Hundred  and  Forty-fourth  Street  and  Ninth  Avenue,  and 
it  was  believed  by  sportsmen  to  be  the  last  one  to  suffer 
a  like  fate  on  the  Island. 

At  about  Eightieth  Street,  between  the  Boulevard  and 
Ninth  Avenue,  a  Mr.  Foley  rented  an  open  place  and 
furnished  pigeons  for  trap-shooting;  and  at  about  Eighty- 


,  *■'• ••■-■■ 


■  d* 


m-. 


W^^imA 


HAMILTON   HOUSE 


262  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

eighth  Street  and  the  river,  a  Mr.  Batterson,  proprietor 
of  a  hotel  formerly  a  country  seat,  opened  a  pigeon  ground 
for  trap-shooting.  Subsequently,  Burnham  opened  a 
ground  at  Seventy-ninth  Street  and  Eleventh  Avenue  for 
a  like  purpose. 

November,  the  Richmond  Hill  Theatre  was  opened 
with  the  "Road  to  Ruin,"  a  favorite  opening  play  of 
that  epoch,  and  not  always  inappropriate.  The  address 
for  the  occasion  was  written  by  Halleck.  In  the  next 
year,  late  in  May,  the  house  was  reopened  with  John 
Barnes  of  the  Park  as  lessee;  the  address  for  the  re-open- 
ing being  from  the  pen  of  Charles  P.  Clinch.  The  little 
theatre  enjoyed  liberal  favor  from  the  public  during  the 
summer,  until  the  cholera  epidemic  of  1832  ended  this 
with  all  other  forms  of  diversion. 

December  25,  the  Havre  packet  arrived,  being  the 
first  of  ten  Liverpool  and  Havre  packets  due;  her 
latest  date  was  the  23d  of  October,  or  fifty-nine 
days   old. 

December  26,  the  East  River  was  closed  (jammed)  by 
ice  so  that  several  hundred  persons  crossed  on  foot  be- 
tween New  York  and  Brooklyn.     - 

The  estate  of  Bishop  Moore,  which  was  part  of  that 
of  Captain  Thomas  Clarke,  and  known  as  Chelsea,  was 
inherited  by  his  son  Clement  C,  before  mentioned 
herein,  who  occupied  the  house  and  grounds  bounded 
by  Nineteenth  and  Twenty-fourth  streets,  Ninth  Ave- 
nue and  the  river  (see  page  191).  In  this  year  he  com- 
menced opening  streets  through  the  property.  To  the 
General  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church  he  had  given  the  entire  plot  on  Ninth 
Avenue  between  Twentieth  and  Twenty-first  streets  and 
the  river. 

Wells  &  Patterson  opened  at  No.  277  Broadway,  next 
to  the  corner  of  Chambers  Street,  a  store  for  the  furnish- 
ing and  sale  of  men's  hosiery,  gloves,  shirts,  etc.,  etc.,  a 


WALTER    BOWNE,    MAYOR 


263 


man-millinery,  as  it  was  then  termed — and  this  was  for 
several  years  the  only  store  of  the  kind,  as  well  as  the 
first  that  was  opened  in  this  city. 

The  Leake  and  Watts  Orphan  Asylum  was  established 
in  this  year. 

The  population  of  the  city  in  this  year  was  ascertained 
to  be  202,589. 


M'GOWAN'S  PASS,  1820 


CHAPTER   XIV 

WALTER    BOWNE,    1832   AND    1833,     AND    GIDEON    LEE,    1833, 

MAYORS 

1832.  In  this  year  the  following  streets  and  places  were 
widened,  viz.  :  Ann,  between  Nassau  and  William;  Cedar, 
between  William  and  Pearl;  Exchange  Place  at  William; 
Spruce,  between  Nassau  and  Gold;  William,  on  east  side, 
from  Wall  to  Pine;  Hanover  at  Exchange  Place;  and 
Cross,  Anthony,  and  Little  Water  streets.  Sixth  Street 
was  changed  to  Waverly  Place.  Jefferson  Market,  at 
intersection  of  Sixth  Avenue  and  Greenwich  Lane,  was 
opened.  There  was  annexed  to  it  a  fire-alarm  bell  tower 
and  a  steam-pump,  which  drew  and  forced  water  through 
a  main  to  the  elevated  cistern  or  reservoir,  as  it  was 
termed,  in  East  Thirteenth  Street  near  Broadway. 

Union  Square  was  enlarged,  and  as  the  required  area 
invaded  the  property  of  the  owners  abutting  in  Broadway 
and  Seventeenth  Street  and  the  Bowery  (now  Fourth  Ave- 
nue), many  of  them  protested  against  the  measure  with 
the  usual  vehemence  and  short-sightedness  of  people  re- 
garding their  view  of  their  own  interests  in  similar  cases. 

I  was  present  on  an  occasion  when  an  old  and  well- 
known  sailor  captain  protested  against  the  enlargement, 
as  he  was  an  old  man  and  had  settled  down  for  life  and 
did  not  wish  to  be  disturbed.  He  said  that  it  would  be 
hard  to  lose  his  property — that  is,  to  have  the  city  take 
about  five  per  cent,  of  it  and  make  the  balance  in  a  few- 
years  worth  ten  times  the  cost  of  the  whole,  which  it  did. 

The  Hall  of  Records,  in  the  Park,  originally  built  for 
a  jail  (see  page  26),  which   in  1830  had  been  ordered  to 


WALTER    BOWNE,    MAYOR  265 

be  converted  for  the  accommodation  of  several  of  the 
city  departments,  was  so  far  finished  in  this  year  that 
it  was  used  as  a  cholera  hospital,  and,  subsequently, 
by  the  Register,  Comptroller,  Street  Commissioner,  and 
Surrogate. 

Some  prices  for  real  estate,  obtained  at  sales  by  public 
auction  during  this  winter,  are  here  noted  :  The  corner 
of  Wall  and  Broad  streets,  30  feet  on  Wall  Street  by 
16  feet  8  inches  on  Broad,  $17,750;  south-west  corner 
of  Broadway  and  Park  Place,  about  25  by  122,  $37,000. 

February  23  ground  was  broken  for  construction  of  the 
New  York  and  Harlem  Railroad,  and  in  the  course  of 
the  year  this  company  ran  its  first  car  from  Prince  to 
Fourteenth  Street.  These  cars  were  like  stage-coaches, 
hung  on  leather,  with  several  compartments  and  side 
doors,  the  driver  sitting  above  like  a  coachman,  and 
putting  on  the  brake  with  his  feet.  My  readers  should 
remember  that  at  this  time  railways  on  important  lines, 
as  from  Schenectady  to  Saratoga  and  the  short  cut  across 
the  Delaware-Maryland  peninsula,  on  the  route  to  Wash- 
ington, were  operated  by  horse-power. 

Mordecai  M.  Noah,  who  had  edited  and  published  The 
Advocate  from  18 13,  then  at  73  Pine  Street,  commenced 
the  publication  in  1825  of  the  National  Advocate,  at  45 
Wall  Street,  but,  being  enjoined  by  Henry  Eckford  and 
others,  he  changed  the  title  to  Noah's  National  Advocate ; 
being  again  enjoined,  he  changed  it  to  the  New  York 
Enquirer,  at  10  William  Street,  and,  in  1829,  James 
Watson  Webb  purchased  it,  merged  it  with  the  Morning 
Courier  published  in  1827,  and  established  the  Neiv  York 
Courier  and  Enquirer  at  16  Merchants'  Exchange,  with 
M.  M.  Noah,  James  Lawson,  James  Gordon  Bennett, 
Prosper  M.  Wetmore,  and  James  G.  Brooks  as  editors. 
Later  Bennett  was  transferred  to  Washington  as  re- 
porter of  Congressional  proceedings. 

May  4  the  outer  walls  of  the  stores  of  Phelps  &  Peck 
9* 


266  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


BROADWAY   AND  MURRAY  STREET,    1820 


in  Gold  Street,  corner  of  Fulton,  at  about  6  p.  m.,  fell 
out,  and  eight  persons,  including  the  bookkeeper,  were 
killed  and  five  injured. 

May  21  Washington  Irving  arrived  in  New  York,  after 
an  absence  of  seventeen  years  in  foreign  parts,  and  on 
May  30  a  public  dinner  was  given  to  him  at  the  City 
Hotel,  which  was  attended  by  a  very  large  and  distin- 
guished company. 

June  8  a  public  meeting  of  merchants  was  held  to 
endorse  an  appeal  to  Congress  to  modify  the  tariff  laws; 
but,  in  consequence  of  the  presence  and  violent  action 
of  the  manufacturers  and  others  opposed  to  any  modifi- 
cation, the  assemblage  was  dispersed. 

This    was    "cholera    year."       During    the    spring    the 


WALTER    BOWNE,    MAYOR  267 

public  were  alarmed  by  reported  prevalence  of  the  dis- 
ease in  Europe.  June  15,  from  Albany  via  the  day-boat, 
we  learned  of  the  existence  of  the  dreaded  cholera  in 
Quebec,  brought  across  the  Atlantic  by  immigrants, 
and  appearing  in  a  virulent  form.  The  Common  Council 
appointed  two  physicians,  Drs.  Rhinelander  and  DeKay, 
to  proceed  forthwith  to  Quebec  and  report  their  views 
as  to  the  means  to  be  adopted  to  alleviate  the  scourge 
so  soon  as  it  appeared  here.  They  proceeded  and  soon 
returned,  and  among  their  remedial  preventive  recom- 
mendations, one  cited  brandy  and  water  and  the  other 
port-wine.  It  was  for  a  long  while  a  standard  and  oft- 
recurring  joke  with  those  who  availed  themselves,  in  the 
manner  of  such  refreshment,  of  every  opportunity  that 
was  presented  to  repel  the  dreaded  cholera,  announcing 
their  preference  for  "Dr.  Rhinelander"  (brandy)  or 
"Dr.  DeKay"  (port-wine). 

Mayor  Bowne  issued  a  proclamation  forbidding  the 
arrival  here  of  all  conveyances  with  persons  afflicted  with 
cholera.  In  the  churches  prayers  were  offered;  but  on 
June  26  the  cholera  appeared  in  New  York.  It  was  in 
virulent  form.  The  Board  of  Health  was  required  by 
duty  to  visit  the  Staten  Island  quarantine,  and  within 
a  fortnight  from  the  time  of  their  visit  all  of  them  save 
one  (Alderman  Hall)  were  dead  of  the  epidemic.  A 
coroner's  inquest  was  held  in  the  case  of  a  man  found 
dead  in  the  street  from  cholera.  This  was  late  in  the 
week,  and  by  the  next  Monday  nine  of  the  twenty  per- 
sons concerned  in  the  inquest  were  dead.  A  special 
medical  council  was  appointed,  and  five  large  public 
hospitals  were  organized,  besides  establishing  a  special 
station  in  each  ward. 

Nevertheless,  the  city  manifested  a  degree  of  calmness 
and  self-control,  in  actual  presence  of  the  disorder,  that 
was  somewhat  remarkable.  Business  proceeded  without 
noteworthy    interruptions,    and    the    streets    wore    their 


268  RExMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

usual  animated  aspect.  The  situation  was  serious  and 
grave — even  awful — but  there  was  no  wild  terror.  Yet 
the  disease  raged  until  October  31,  and  caused  3515 
deaths. 

In  the  middle  of  July  the  famous  Ravels  appeared  first 
in  America  at  the  Park  Theatre,  and  instantly  gained 
a  popularity  almost  unrivalled  in  our  amusements,  which 
lasted  for  more  than  thirty  years.  After  being  at  the  Park 
and  the  "  Bowery,"  they  were  seen  at  Niblo's  for  many 
successive  seasons.  Gabriel  Ravel's  farewell  benefit  was 
at  Palmo's  Opera  House,  late  in  1847,  and  soon  after  the 
principal  members  of  the  troupe  went  abroad,  but,  at  the 
opening  of  Niblo's  new  theatre,  in  1849,  several  of  them 
appeared,  and  in  185 1  Gabriel  himself  returned  with 
undiminished  powers.  In  1857-58  they  were  at  Niblo's 
for  three  hundred  nights.  The  first  engagement  of  them 
at  the  Park,  in  this  year  of  1832,  lasted  but  a  fortnight, 
being  negatived  by  the  cholera. 

September  3  arrived  Charles  Kemble  and  his  daughter, 
Frances  Anne,  so  long  and  well  known  in  this  country  as 
Fanny  Kemble  Butler.  On  September  17  and  18  they 
made  their  first  appearances  at  the  Park  Theatre,  Kemble 
on  the  first  evening  in  Hamlet,  his  daughter  on  the  18th 
as  Bianca  in  Milman's  "  Fazio."  The  receipts  for  the 
first  ten  nights  of  the  Kembles'  performances  averaged 
twelve  hundred  dollars,  and  the  total  for  the  engagement 
of  sixty  nights  was  fifty-six  thousand  dollars.  They 
attracted  great  attention,  not  only  at  the  theatre,  but  in 
society  also,  for  they  were  received  into  some  of  the 
best  houses.  Miss  Kemble,  in  particular,  was  veritably 
triumphant.  The  publication  of  her  journal,  however,  in 
1835,  caused  a  considerable  revulsion  of  feeling  among 
some  of  those  who  had  shown  her  the  greatest  courtesy, 
for  she  had  set  down  therein,  with  great  frankness,  her 
opinions  of  the  dress,  manners,  and  habits  of  her  hosts — 
the    opinions    of    a    young    girl    in    a  new    country,    not 


WALTER    BOWNE,    MAYOR  269 

intrinsically  valuable  and  certainly  ill-advised  as  to  pub- 
lication. 

The  passage  of  a  steamboat  hence  to  Providence  hav- 
ing been  made  in  fourteen  hours  and  twenty-nine  minutes, 
it  was  heralded  as  an  exceptional  performance. 

October  31.  A  notable  event  was  the  consecration 
of  four  bishops  (Hopkins,  Smith,  Mcllvaine,  and  Doane) 
in  St.  Paul's  Chapel.  The  occasion  excited  great  inter- 
est; it  is  now,  1895,  commemorated  on  one  of  the  bronze 
doors  (the  South)  of  Trinity  Church. 

Early  in  November  T.  D.  Rice  made  his  Ethiopian 
debut  in  his  character  of  Jim  Crow,  which  became  famous. 
Negro  delineations  had  been  given  before  (as  at  the 
Chatham  Garden),  but  Rice  may  be  regarded  as  in  some 
degree  the  founder. 

In  December  the  Camden  and  Amboy  Railroad  was 
opened  complete  (steamboat  to  South  Amboy  and  thence 
by  rail),  and  the  time  was  exultingly  announced  as  five 
and  a  half  hours  from  New  York  to  Philadelphia. 

The  writer  suggested  to  his  former  employer,  James 
P.  Allaire,  the  steam-engine  manufacturer,  that,  as  work 
was  light,  it  would  be  well  to  keep  all  his  good  men  and 
build  a  tugboat,  which  he  might  employ  profitably  if 
he  could  not  sell  her.  To  which  he  replied  :  "  Why, 
Charles,  there  are  three  now  !  "  This  was  considered 
conclusive;  three  boats,  how  could  they  be  supported  ? 
At  the  present  time  (1895)  there  are  592  documented  at 
this  port,  besides  an  unknown  number  from  outside  our 
limits. 

Mr.  Whitlock  established  a  third  line  of  packets  hence 
to  Havre.  The  first  street  paved  in  Harlem  was  One 
Hundred  and  Twenty-ninth  Street  in  this  year,  paved 
and  flagged,  from  Third  to  Eighth  Avenue.  There  were 
no  other  paved  streets  in  New  York  north  of  Clinton 
Place  and  Greenwich  Avenue  at  this  time. 

Alexander  Welsh,  or  "Sandie,"as   he  was  universally 


270  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

called,  opened  a  restaurant  under  the  Museum,  at  the 
corner  of  Broadway  and  Ann  Street,  and  named  it  the 
Terrapin  Lunch.  He  was  very  popular,  and  his  Lunch 
became  one  of  the  favorite  resorts  of  the  period.  His 
motto  was,  Dum  vivimus  vivamus.  He  was  a  worthy 
competitor  of  Windust. 

There  were  exhibited  in  the  Rotunda,  Chambers  Street, 
pictures  of  Adam  and  Eve,  and  as  they  were  represented 
in  a  semi-uude  condition,  and  the  public  had  not  been 
educated  up  to  the  point  of  considering  such  representa- 
tion as  within  the  requirements  of  propriety,  much  cen- 
sure was  lavished  upon  the  exhibition,  and  as  a  result  it 
was  largely  attended,  and  finally  accepted  by  some,  and 
submitted  to  by  others  as  permissible. 

Charles  Cox,  a  tailor  from  London  at  114  William 
Street,  subsequently  Nassau,  then  at  5  Wall  and 
finally  Astor  House,  as  Cox  &  Knock,  had  published  an 
advertisement  of  an  exceptionally  absurd  character,  set- 
ting forth  his  lachrymose  condition  after  his  arrival  here, 
and  his  now  jubilant  position.  The  precise  language  I 
have  forgotten,  but  it  was  of  such  an  unusual  form  that  an 
English  writer  who  was  travelling  here  reproduced  it  on 
his  return,  in  his  travels  in  America,  and  vauntingly 
cited  it  as  an  illustration  of  the  peculiar  advertisements 
of  Yankee  tradesmen. 

William  Harrington,  a  butcher  of  Central  Market,  with- 
out any  training,  fought  and  signally  defeated  an  English 
pugilist  near  Philadelphia.  The  interest  shown  in  this 
fight  among  the  butchers  and  Bowery  Boys,  of  which  num- 
ber "  Bill  "  Harrington  had  been  an  acknowledged  repre- 
sentative and  leader,  was  very  great,  and  when  the  result 
of  it  became  known  here,  flags  were  hoisted  on  the 
markets  and  slaughter-houses. 

The  Bowery  Boy  of  that  period  was  so  distinctive  a 
class  in  dress  and  conversation,  that  a  description  of  him 
is  well  worthy  of  notice.      He  was  not  an  idler  and  corner 


WALTER     BOWNE,     MAYOR  27 1 

lounger,  but  mostly  an  apprentice,  generally  to  a  butcher, 
and  he  "ran  with  a  machine."  He  was  but  little  seen  in 
the  day,  being  engaged  at  his  employment ;  but  in  the  even- 
ings, other  than  Saturdays  (when  the  markets  remained 
open  all  day  and  evening),  and  on  Sundays  and  holidays,  he 
appeared  in  propria  persona,  a  very  different  character;  his 
dress,  a  high  beaver  hat,  with  the  nap  divided  and  brushed 
in  opposite  directions,  the  hair  on  the  back  of  his  head 
clipped  close,  while  in  front  the  temple  locks  were  curled 
and  greased  (hence,  the  well-known  term  of  "  soap  locks" 
to  the  wearer  of  them),  a  smooth  face,  a  gaudy  silk  neck- 
cloth, black  frock-coat,  full  pantaloons,  turned  up  at  the 
bottom  over  heavy  boots  designed  for  service  in  slaughter- 
houses and  at  fires;  and  when  thus  equipped,  with  his  girl 
hanging  on  his  arm,  it  would  have  been  very  injudicious  to 
offer  him  any  obstruction  or  to  utter  an  offensive  remark. 

When  he  advised  one  of  his  confreres  to  attack  and 
beat  a  person,  or  defend  himself,  he  would  exclaim  "  Lam 
him  "  (Sam,  Jim,  or  Jake,  as  the  name  might  be).  The 
orthography  I  am  not  responsible  for,  as,  in  the  absence 
of  any  vocabulary,  I  give  the  word  phonographically;  and 
strange  as  the  expression  may  seem,  there  is  authority 
for  it,  as  Walter  Scott,  in  his  "  Peveril  of  the  Peak,"  uses 
it  thus:   "Lambethem,  lads;  lambethem!"* 

Colloquially  the  Bowery  Boy  was  referred  to  as  Moze, 
and  his  "best  girl  "  as  Lize. 

1833.  January  i  appeared  the  first  number  of  the 
Knickerbocker  Magazine,  under  the  editorial  control  of 
Charles  F.  Hoffman,  a  periodical  which  continued  to  hold 
the  field,  mainly  under  the  late  Lewis  Gaylord  Clark,  until 
a  date  beyond  the  scope  of  these  reminiscences.  The 
New  York  Evangelist  was  founded  in  this  year. 

In  this  year  the  New  York  and  Harlem  Railroad  ex- 
tended its  route  to  Murray  Hill. 

*  A  cant  phrase  of  the  time  derived  from  the  fate  of  Dr.  Lambe,  an 
astrologer  and  quack,  who  was  knocked  on  the  head  in  Charles  I.'s  time. 


272 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


Provost  Street,  which  ran   from  Chapel  Street  to  the 
river,  was  changed  to  Franklin  Street.     Asylum  Street, 
which    had    been    opened    in 
1832,  to  Cornelia,  from  Chris- 
topher,    was      opened      from 
Sixth    to    Eighth    Avenue    to 


'NORTH"   DUTCH  CHURCH,  CORNER  OF  FULTON   AND  WILLIAM   STREETS 


Fourth  Street;  and  in  November,  North  Street,  which 
was  east  of  the  Bowery,  was  changed  to  Houston  Street; 
Pine,  from  Broadway  to  William,  was  widened;  Wooster 


GIDEON    LEE,    MAYOR  273 

was   extended   to   Fourteenth  Street,    and   Barrow   from 
Asylum  Street  to  Sixth  Avenue. 

Jacob  S.  Piatt  purchased  sufficient  property  between 
Gold  and  Pearl  streets  to  open  a  street  and  erect  stores 
fronting  thereon.     Hence  arose  the  name  Piatt  Street. 

It  was  about  this  year  that  the  first  block,  or  Belgian, 
pavement  was  laid  in  a  street  of  this  city  or  country. 
The  location,  selected  in  view  of  the  heavy  travel  over 
it,  was  in  the  Bowery  between  Bayard  and  Walker 
(Pump)  streets.  The  streets  previous  to  this,  and  for 
many  years  after,  were  paved  with  what  are  professionally 
known  as  cobblestones;  and  it  was  not  until  about  this 
year,  with  the  exception  of  the  instance  cited,  that  block 
stones  were  introduced,  and  then  but  sparingly;  Broad- 
way being  first  paved  with  Russ  block,  which  ultimately 
proved  a  failure  and  was  removed  for  Belgian. 

The  Greenwich  Savings  Bank  was  opened  at  12  Carmine 
Street. 

In  April  a  subscription  was  completed  for  building  the 
Marine  Pavilion  at  Rockaway,  as  an  elegant  place  of 
summer  resort.  Some  seventy  gentlemen  subscribed  five 
hundred  dollars  each;  the  list  including  such  names  as 
Prime,  Ray,  King,  Hone,  Cruger,  Howland,  Suffern,  Cos- 
ter, Hoyt,  Schermerhorn,  Crosby,  Whitney,  Newbold, 
Gihon,  Parish,  Thorne,  Grinnell,  Suydam,  Kissam,  Heck- 
scher,  Cutting,  Livingston,  Stuyvesant,  etc.,  but  notwith- 
standing these  names,  and  the  expectations  of  success, 
this  resort,  though  established  according  to  the  plan  and 
being  a  delightful  place,  never  prospered.  New  Yorkers 
of  fashion,  including  most  of  the  subscribers,  preferred 
to  "go  farther  and  fare  worse." 

The  City  Hotel  was  much  damaged  by  fire. 

April  30  the  stables  of  Kipp  &  Brown,  proprietors  of 
a  line  of  stages  to  Wall  Street,  in  Hudson  Street,  corner 
of  Hammond,  were  burned,  and  a  great  number  of  horses 
and  of  new  stages  were  destroyed. 


274  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

June  3  died  Oliver  YVolcott,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury 
under  Washington,  afterward  a  merchant  of  New  York, 
and  President,  first  of  the  Merchants'  Bank,  then  of  the 
Bank  of  America.  After  declining  business  he  removed 
to  Connecticut,  of  which  State  he  was  some  time  Governor, 
and  then  returned  to  New  York. 

June  29  died  Colonel  Nicholas  Fish,  much  regretted, 
an  officer  of  distinction  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  a 
highly  esteemed  citizen. 

In  the  summer  President  Jackson  visited  the  city  at  the 
invitation  of  the  Common  Council.  He  was  received  by 
it  at  Amboy,  and  escorted  to  the  city  in  the  steamboat 
North  America,  to  Castle  Garden.  The  number  of  people 
on  the  bridge  was  so  great  that  one  span  of  it  fell,  and 
many  people  were  thrown  into  the  water.  I  was  at  the 
point  of  rupture,  and  went  with  the  bridge,  but  escaped 
uninjured. 

July  3  Aaron  Burr  married  the  widow  of  Stephen 
Jumel,  and  subsequently  occupied  her  fine  old  house  (the 
Roger  Morris  home,  built  in  1758)  that  still  stands 
untouched  on  the  height  overlooking  Harlem  River,  just 
at  the  edge  of  the  Croton  Aqueduct,  at  about  One  Hun- 
dred and  Sixty-first  Street  (see  page  278). 

August  1  Sailors'  Snug  Harbor,  on  Staten  Island,  was 
opened,  the  corner-stone  having  been  laid  in  October,  183 1. 

At  the  end  of  August  Tyrone  Power  made  his  first 
appearance  in  America,  at  the  Park  Theatre.  Power 
certainly  eclipsed  all  actors,  earlier  or  later,  as  a  delinea- 
tor of  Irish  characters.  He  was  here  again  in  1836 
and  1839,  and  sailed  for  England  on  March  21,  1841, 
in  the  ill-fated  President,  which  never  was  heard  of 
afterward. 

September  3  rose  The  Sun,  edited  by  Benjamin  H.  Day, 
the  first  one-cent  paper  ever  published,  and  sold  by  the 
first  newsboy.  It  did  not  give  editorials  or  reports  of 
stock  sales. 


GIDEON    LEE,    MAYOR  275 

In  January,  Horace  Greeley,  in  partnership  with  H.  D. 
Shephard  and  Francis  A'.  Story,  had  published  and  issued 
a  daily  paper,  The  Morning  Post,  price  one  cent,  which 
lingered  and  survived  for  a  period  of  three  weeks. 

September  4  a  deep  impression  was  made  upon  our 
public  by  the  first  performances  at  the  Park  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Joseph  Wood,  who  began  a  season  of  English  opera. 
"Cinderella"  was  given  on  the  opening  night.  Mr. 
Wood  was  a  competent  performer,  and  his  wife  had, 
added  to  great  native  talent,  the  power  derived  from  long 
study,  experience,  and  native  beauty.  They  were  here 
again  in  1835-36,  and  1840-41.  During  the  second  visit 
they  were  ill-affected  by  an  unhappy  stage  difficulty, 
which,  however,  was  forgotten  on  their  later  appearance. 

October  1  lotteries  in  the  State  were  abolished  by  an 
Act  of  the  Legislature. 

In  this  year  Stephen  Holt  built  the  hotel  on  Fulton, 
corner  of  Pearl  and  Water  streets,  to  which  he  gave  his 
name  (the  house  now  called  the  United  States)  ;  but  hav- 
ing changed  the  entire  order  of  his  business,  that  is,  from 
being  the  proprietor  of  a  cheap  restaurant  to  the  require- 
ments and  prices  of  other  hotels,  he  erred;  and  later 
the  hotel  passed  out  of  his  possession.  He  had  been 
proprietor  of  a  public-house  which  was  burned  out  in  1814, 
and  failed.  Obtaining  credit  then  for  another  house, 
corner  of  Water  and  Fulton  streets,  he  some  years  after 
surprised  the  public  by  furnishing  what  were  termed  his 
shilling  (12.5  cents)  plates,  consisting  of  best  Fulton 
Market  beef,  or  poultry,  and  potatoes.  It  was  such  an 
innovation  upon  existing  practice  and  price,  that,  becom- 
ing popular,  he  reaped  sufficient  profits  to  pay  off  his  debts, 
and  commence  the  construction  of  the  hotel  that  bore  his 
name.  The  bed-coverings  or  quilts  for  the  entire  house 
were  covered  with  "  patch-work  "  made  by  Mrs.  Holt. 

In  1827  an  Englishwoman,  Mrs.  Frances  Trollope, 
arrived  here,  proceeded  to  Cincinnati,  and  essayed  a  busi- 


276  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

ness  there,  which  proved  to  be  unprofitable.  Disap- 
pointed and  vexed,  she  published  in  1832  her  "  Domestic 
Life  of  the  Americans";  a  book  in  which  she  expressed 
herself  in  voluble  vituperation  of  the  common  customs 
and  manners  of  the  residents  of  a  town,  which  at  that 
period  was,  alike  to  all  newly  occupied  Western  settle- 
ments, rude  in  converse  and  regardless  of  appearances. 
She  wholly  ignored  the  grandeur  of  the  country  and  its 
evidences  of  a  brilliant  future,  and  when  launched  upon 
the  sea  of  censure  and  ridicule  she  did  not  confine  her- 
self to  the  West,  but  declared  not  only  our  standard  ob- 
servances and  moral  character  to  be  inferior  to  those  of 
England,  but,  in  religious  propriety,  to  be  even  inferior 
to  that  of  France.  In  illustration  of  our  customs  and 
manners  she  aired  her  spleen  in  setting  forth  the  inex- 
plicable indecency,  when  sitting  in  a  chair,  of  putting  our 
feet  on  a  table;  wearing  our  hats  within  doors,  of  offen- 
sive expectoration  and  ejecting  saliva  or  tobacco  juice 
without  heed  of  the  distance.  Dickens,  I  think,  put  the 
observed  limit  at  ten  paces. 

Now,  although  her  criticisms  and  assertions  were  en- 
gendered in  disappointment,  national  animosity,  and  re- 
venge, they  were  essentially  true,  and  however  chagrined 
we  were,  we  acknowledged  them  as  such  by  essaying 
to  correct  our  manners;  as  was  afterward  universally 
demonstrated  whenever  one  in  public  fell  within  the  range" 
of  her  criticisms,  as  the  cry  of  "Trollope!  Trollope  ! 
Trollope  !  "  was  immediately  vociferated.  In  illustration 
of  the  extent  to  which  such  action  was  practised:  at  the 
Park  Theatre  on  an  evening  when  the  house  was  excep- 
tionally full,  one  of  a  party  occupying  a  front  seat  in  the 
centre  of  the  auditorium,  soon  after  the  close  of  the  first 
act,  leisurely  and  inconsiderately  turned  his  back  to  the 
stage  and  rested  himself  on  the  front  enclosure  of  the 
box,  whereupon  "Trollope!  Trollope!  Trollope!"  was 
shouted  from  several  quarters,  in  which  I  joined;   but  so 


GIDEON    LEE,    MAYOR  277 

soon  as  it  was  apparent  that  the  party  was  disposed  to 
ignore  the  rebuke,  the  pit  arose,  some  occupants  of  the 
boxes  followed,  and  the  performance  was  arrested.  When 
the  person,  in  sporting  phrase,  finally  "threw  up  the 
sponge,"  the  house  gave  three  cheers,  not  in  compliment 
to  him  who  had  caused  the  censure,  but  to  itself  for  its 
success;  and  such  for  many  years  was  the  course  in  public 
on  all  similar  occasions  of  evident  impropriety  or  neglect 
of  the  accepted  observances  of  society.  So  much  for 
Mrs.  Trollope's  book,  much  talked  of  at  the  time.  It 
gave  pleasure  to  the  English,  but  profit  to  us,  however 
much  we  may  have  been  annoyed  by  it  at  first.  Mrs. 
Trollope  was  mother  of  two  men  of  letters,  Thomas 
Adolphus,  and  his  better  known  brother  Anthony,  the 
novelist.  Her  "  Domestic  Life  "  has  just  been  reprinted 
here,  and  may  be  commended  to  my  readers  as  an  inter- 
esting study  for  them. 

October  3.  A  meeting  in  favor  of  immediate  abolition 
of  slavery  was  called  to  be  held  in  Clinton  Hall  (Beek- 
man  Street).  A  crowd  assembled  at  the  place  to  oppose 
it.  Thereupon  the  permission  that  had  been  given  to 
use  the  hall  was  withdrawn,  and  the  crowd  adjourned  to 
Tammany  Hall  and  passed  resolutions  disapproving  the 
object  of  the  proposed  meeting. 

October  9.  The  boiler  of  the  steamboat  New  England^ 
hence  to  Hartford,  burst;  fifteen  persons  being  killed  and 
twenty-six  scalded  and  wounded. 

James  Fenimore  Cooper  arrived  in  New  York  on 
November  5,  after  long  residence  abroad. 

An  association  known  as  the  New  York  Opera  Com- 
pany, through  the  efforts  of  Lorenzo  Da  Ponte,  constructed 
a  theatre  on  the  corner  of  Church  and  Leonard  streets, 
the  first  structure  in  New  York  designed  for  the  repre- 
sentation of  Italian  operas,  which  was  opened  with  great 
Mat  on  November  18,  Rossini's  "  La  Gazza  Ladra  "  being 
chosen  for    the   initial   performance.     The  prices  were  : 


278 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


boxes,  $1.50;  "sofa  seats,"  $2.00;  pit,  $1.00;  gallery, 
75  cents.  But  the  time  was  far  too  early  for  successful 
maintenance  of  an  opera-house  in  New  York  (indeed  the 
time  has  not  yet  arrived  for  that),  and  as  the  enterprise 
languished,  it  was  abandoned,  and  in  1836  the  place 
was  opened  for  dramatic  performances  as  the  National 
Theatre.      James   H.    Hackett   leased   and   held  it  for  a 


JUMEL  MANSION,  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  SIXTY-FIRST  STREET,   BETWEEN 
NINTH   AND  TENTH   AVENUES 


brief  period.  It  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  September,  1839, 
rebuilt  and  again  destroyed  in  May,  1841. 

The  country  market  and  fish-market  at  Washington 
Market  was  opened  on  December  16. 

I  was  present  at  the  annual  feast  of  the  Krout  Club,  an 
organization  of  many  years  before,  the  Chief  of  which 
was  known  as  the  Grand  Krout,  and  the  secretary  in  the 
fall  of  the  year  announced  that  his  august  Chief  had  been 
seen  to  nod,  by  which  he  signified  his  consent  to  an  as- 
semblage of  all  Krouts.     The  exercises  were   announced 


GIDEON    LEE,    MAYOR  279 

to  commence  at  10  a.  m.,  when  the  "  smoked  geese  would 
parade,"  followed  by  sauerkraut,  which  signified  that 
cards  would  be  indulged  in  until  dinner;  preceding  which 
the  secretary  read  his  annual  report,  which  consisted  of 
a  humorous  relation  of  what  had  occurred  and  what  had 
not  occurred.  Stoneall's  Hotel,  in  Fulton  Street,  was 
the  usual  place  of  meeting,  the  notice  of  which  was  the 
display  of  a  cabbage  head  on  a  pole  projected  from  a 
window.  When  the  death  of  a  member  was  announced 
he  was  said  to  have  wilted. 

In  this  year  President  Jackson  caused  the  Government 
money  in  the  Bank  of  the  United  States  at  Philadelphia, 
and  its  several  branches,  as  at  Xew  York,  Boston,  etc.,  to 
be  withdrawn  and  deposited  in  some  State  banks.  The 
act  was  vigorously  opposed  and  censured  by  the  opposi- 
tion press,  and  public  meetings  were  held  in  various 
places  for  many  months  after,  denouncing  the  measure; 
but  inasmuch  as  the  bank  made  a  very  disastrous  failure 
soon  after,  the  act  of  the  President  met  with  much  less 
condemnation. 

About  this  time  a  Mr.  Xavier  Chabert,  who  figured  here 
as  the  "  Fire-eater,"  and,  being  protected  by  asbestos 
clothes,  would  enter  a  heated  oven  and  emerge  with  im- 
punity, etc.,  etc.,  married  the  possessor  of  a  life  interest 
in  the  block  bounded  by  Ninth  and  Tenth  avenues, 
Sixteenth  and  Seventeenth  streets.  To  the  disgust  of 
parties  interested  in  the  progress  of  Chelsea,  she  gave 
leases  of  the  land  which  were  limited  by  her  life.  It  was 
held  by  the  objecting  parties  in  Chelsea  that  the  presence 
of  a  block  of  low  wooden  buildings  (many  of  which  were, 
and  were  being  transplanted,  from  other  localities),  cow- 
sheds and  stables,  would  seriously  injure  them;  on  the 
other  hand  it  was  asserted  that  upon  death  and  reversion 
of  the  interest,  all  the  encumbrances  would  be  removed. 
The  response  was,  ''Never,  so  long  as  they  existed," — 
and  with  a  few  exceptions  they  yet  remain. 


280  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

This  year  saw  the  beginning  of  the  Millerite  "craze," 
which  assumed  considerable  proportions  during  the  ten 
years  or  more  next  succeeding;  causing  a  good  deal  of 
talk  and  newspaper  comment  and  unsettling  many  weak 
minds.  William  Miller,  of  Hampton,  N.  Y.,  believed  or 
pretended  that  he  had  discovered  from  his  study  of  Holy 
Scripture  that  the  end  of  the  world  was  near  at  hand, 
and  prophesied  Christ's  second  coming  in  the  month  of 
April,  1843.  The  new  doctrine  was  promulgated  by 
preaching  and  circulation  of  books  and  tracts,  and  secured 
adherents,  many  of  whom,  when  the  appointed  time  drew 
near,  divested  themselves  of  their  property,  as  being  of 
no  further  use  to  them,  and  prepared  ascension  robes,  to 
be  in  readiness  for  the  great  day.  Nothing  unusual 
occurring  at  that  time,  it  was  asserted  that  some  error  in 
computation  had  been  found,  and  that  the  true  date  was 
in  October  of  the  same  year.  A  letter  in  the  Troy  Times 
of  July,  1894,  contains  an  account  by  the  Rev.  Professor 
Wentworth,  then  of  the  Troy  Conference  Academy,  of  a 
visit  made  by  him  to  Miller  on  this  date.  Professor 
Wentworth  says  that,  though  it  was  the  night  set  for  the 
judgment  and  conflagration  of  the  world,  and  the  faithful 
were  casting  away  their  worldly  goods  in  contempt  of  all 
things  perishable,  it  was  not  so  with  Miller  himself.  "He 
believed,"  says  Dr.  Wentworth,  "  in  the  Scriptural  injunc- 
tion '  Occupy  till  I  come,'  and  his  fields  were  clean  mown 
and  reaped,  his  wood-house  was  full  of  wood,  sawed  and 
piled  for  winter's  use;  forty  rods  of  new  stone  wall  had 
been  built  that  fall,  and  a  drag  stood  ready  with  bowlders 
as  a  cargo  to  be  laid  upon  the  wall  the  next  day." 

Lydia  Maria  Child's  caustic  comment  on  the  Millerites 
was  that  she  had  "heard  of  very  few  instances  of  stolen 
money  restored,  or  falsehoods  acknowledged,  as  a  prep- 
aration for  the  dreaded  event."  Upon  the  failure  of  the 
second  prophecy  reasons  for  a  new  date  were  forth- 
coming, and  again  on  March  22,  1844,  the  Millerites,  clad 


GIDEON    LEE,    MAYOR  28 1 

in  their  ascension  robes,  gathered  on  hill-tops,  looking 
vainly  for  the  Coming  in  the  East.  It  was  a  pathetic 
company,  and  much  of  the  pathetic  quality  attended  this 
delusion,  in  the  course  of  which  the  more  feeble  minds 
became  deranged,  and  not  a  few  persons  committed 
suicide. 

During  the  years  embraced  in  this  recital,  much  discus- 
sion of  the  subject  went  on  among  people  of  a  higher 
class  than  Miller's  proselytes.  Thus,  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Beman  of  Troy,  N.  Y.  (predecessor  in  his  pastorate 
of  the  Rev.  Professor  Marvin  R.  Vincent,  now  of  Union 
Theological  Seminary),  delivered  a  course  of  lectures  on 
the  "Second  Coming  of  Christ,"  which  showed  some 
advanced  views,  though  he  disclaimed  belief  in  Miller's 
Immediatism. 

Miller  outlived  his  reputation  as  a  prophet,  and  the 
end  of  the  world  came  for  him  in  December,  1849.  The 
Second  Adventist  sect,  however,  of  which  he  was  the  real 
father,  still  survives  as  his  monument,  having  attained 
the  dignity  of  further  sectism  and  subdivision  within 
itself;  some  of  its  members  having  developed  new  views 
of  the  Trinity,  while  some  retain  orthodox  opinions; 
some  taking  up  the  Seventh  Day  notion,  while  others 
observe  Sunday,  etc.,  etc. 

Miller  was  of  course  the  figure-head,  but  the  brains 
were  in  the  head  of  Joshua  V.  Himes,  an  early  convert, 
who  became  the  real  organizer  of  the  movement  and 
provided  and  disseminated  its  literature.  In  after  years, 
when  sect  after  sect  appeared  among  the  remaining  ad- 
herents of  Miller,  Mr.  Himes  continued  to  be  the  leader 
of  the  more  conservative.  At  the  age  of  seventy-four 
he  received  Deacon's  orders  in  the  Episcopal  Church, 
at  the  hands  of  Bishop  Clarkson,  and  remained  in  the 
missionary  charge  then  entrusted  to  him,  and  active 
therein  until  his  death  at  ninety  years,  toward  the  close 
of  1895.      It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  the  Millerite  move- 


252  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

ment  largely  helped  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  Episcopal 
Church,  into  which  thousands  came  after  "  the  time  "  had 
passed  by.  It  made  no  converts  from  that  church,  but 
drew  from  the  religious  bodies  in  which  the  doctrines  of 
the  intermediate  state,  the  Resurrection,  and  the  second 
coming  of  Christ  had  been  most  ignored.  The  move- 
ment was,  as  has  been  well  said,  "the  revenge  of 
neglected    eschatological    truth." 

October  13,  at  the  fall  meeting  of  the  Jockey  Club  on 
Union  Course,  L.  I.,  there  were  four  entries  for  the  four- 
mile  heats,  viz.:  "Black  Maria,"  by  John  C.  Stevens; 
"Trifle,"  by  John  C.  Craig;  "Lady  Relief,"  by  E.  A. 
Darcey ;  and  "  Slim,"  by  Bela  Badger  and  John  C.  Tillot- 
son.  "Black  Maria"  won  the  first  heat;  the  second  was 
declared  dead  between  "Black  Maria"  and  "Trifle"; 
the  third  was  won  by  "Trifle";  the  fourth  by  "Lady 
Relief,"  and  the  fifth  and  last  by  "Black  Maria." 
"  Slim  "  was  distanced  in  the  second  heat,  and  "  Trifle  "  in 
the  fifth.  The  times  of  the  heats  in  minutes  and  seconds 
were  8.06,  7.55,  8.13,  8.39,  and  8.47.  The  track  was 
heavy  from  recent  rains  and  the  weather  cloudy,  dark, 
and  cold.  This  was  the  first  and  only  twenty-mile  race 
that  ever  occurred,  and  with  four  horses  it  would  occur 
only  with  the  occurrence  of  three  winning  each  a  heat, 
and  one  dead  heat.  When  this  performance  is  compared 
with  that  of  the  Anglomaniac  practices  here  of  the 
present  day,  of  three-quarters,  seven-eighths,  and  one 
and  one-quarter  mile  flat  races,  the  question  of  an 
improvement  in  the  race-horses  of  this  day,  in  all 
points,  over  those  of  half  a  century  ago  becomes  very 
problematical. 

In  this  year  there  was  built  at  Baltimore  by  Will- 
iamson &  Kennard,  for  William  McKim,  the  bark 
Ami  McKim,  of  494  tons,  having  greater  proportion- 
ate length  to  beam  than  was  the  practice,  and  finer 
ends,    and,    as    a    consequence,   she   was  a    faster    sailer 


GIDEON    LEE,   MAYOR  283 

than  the  ordinary  vessel  of  that  or  a  preceding  time. 
She,  in  fact,  approached  the  construction  of  a  half 
clipper. 

The  same  party  had  had  built  in  1825  the  square- 
top-sail  schooner  Yellott,  of  two  hundred  tons.  She 
was  of  the  type  of  the  world-wide-famed  Baltimore 
clippers — long,  low,  and  sharp,  with  raking  masts 
and  great  rise  of  floor;  which  latter  element  made 
this  type,  from  insufficient  proportional  freight  capac- 
ity, to  be  suited  only  for  slavers,  privateers,  opium 
smugglers,  oyster  and  fruit  bearers,  etc.  For  general 
freight  and  long  voyages  they  were  unsuited,  but  for 
the  specific  services  above  named,  they  were  well  suited 
and  profitable. 

November  25.  In  or  about  this  period,  when  Houston 
Street  was  being  raised  to  the  grade,  many  feet  above 
the  wet  lands  between  Broadway  and  Third  Avenue,  a 
gentleman  who  had  been  mayor  of  the  city  remarked  to 
his  companion  in  my  hearing,  "  I  pity  the  man  who  owns 
this." 

The  "Red  House,"  fronting  on  Second  Avenue  be- 
tween One  Hundred  and  Tenth  and  One  Hundred  and 
Thirteenth  streets,  having  a  vacant  area  attached,  was 
rented  by  an  association  of  gentlemen,  and  occupied 
solely  as  a  resort  for  pigeon-shooting;  named  after  the 
well-known  house  and  grounds  for  pigeon-shooting  near 
London.  In  a  few  years,  however,  the  deaths  of  three 
of  the  principal  stockholders  and  patrons  induced  the 
remainder  to  dispose  of  the  lease,  when  the  place  was 
employed  as  a  hotel,  a  short  trotting-track  was  laid  out, 
and  it  soon  became  the  headquarters  of  driving  and 
trotting.  It  was  here  the  prowess  of  "  Flora  Temple," 
originally  purchased  for  the  considerable  sum  of  eighty 
dollars,  was  first  evinced. 

The  originators  of  this  enterprise  were  James  Minell, 
Jehiel   Jagger,    Jacob   Harsen,   George   W.    Blunt,   John 


284 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


Lawrence,  and  some  few  others,  with  whom  I  was 
associated. 

December  31,  Chapel  Street  (College  Place)  was 
widened  from  Franklin  to  Murray  Street. 

In  April  of  the  previous  year,  Lexington  Avenue  was 
opened  and  John  Street,  from  Broadway  to  Pearl  Street, 
widened,  and  the  New  York  and  Harlem  Railroad  in 
operation  from  Prince  Street  to  Murray  Hill. 

Shinbone  Alley  was  opened  from  Wooster  Street  Uni- 
versity Place)  to  Fifth  Avenue,  and  between  Washington 
Square  and  Eighth  Street  (Washington  Place). 


WILLIAM   NIBLO'S   "SANS  SOUCI,"   BROADWAY,    NEAR 
PRINCE  STREET 


CHAPTER  XV 

1834-1835. GIDEON     LEE,    1 834,     AND     CORNELIUS    W.     LAW- 
RENCE,    1834    AND    1835,     MAYORS 

1834.  The  first  steam  motor  of  the  Harlem  Railroad 
from  terminus  to  Fourteenth  Street  was  now  employed, 
and  later  in  the  year  the  road  was  opened  to  Yorkville. 
February  n,  Piatt  Street  was  opened,  Pine  Street  was 
again  widened,  from  Broadway  to  Nassau  Street;  Beaver, 
from  William  to  Broad  Street;  Fulton,  from  Broadway  to 
Ryder's  Alley;  and  Gold  from  Frankfort  to  Fulton 
Street,  were  widened.  In  this  year  Augustus  Street  was 
renamed  City  Hall  Place. 

In  April  of  the  previous  year  Wooster  Street  (Univer- 
sity Place)  was  opened  from  Eighth  Street  to  Fourteenth 
Street. 

I  recollect  but  one  florist,  and  that  was  a  Thomas 
Hogg,  who  had  a  store  on  Bowery  Hill  in  1828,  in  1832 
at  388  Broadway,  and  in  this  year  in  Broadway  near 
Twenty-third  Street.  The  custom  of  funeral  wreaths, 
flowers  in  the  churches  at  Easter,  bouquets  at  dinners, 
weddings,  or  balls,  and  boutonnieres,  was  unknown. 

In  this  year  there  were  but  thirteen  markets  in  the 
city.  About  this  period  was  constructed,  in  Thir- 
teenth Street  near  Fourth  Avenue,  a  tank  designed  to 
furnish  water  for  extinguishing  fires;  it  was  in  elevation 
at  its  surface  104  feet  above  tide-water,  with  a  capacity 
of  233,000  gallons,  and  was  supplied  from  a  point  where 
the  Jefferson  Market  and  Court  House  now  stand;  the 
water  being  drawn  up  from  a  well  supplied  from  several 
conducting  galleries  radiating  therefrom,  and  forced  by  a 
steam-engine  of  12-horse  power.    (See  ante,  p.  264.) 


286  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

A  very  large  bell  was  placed  on  the  City  Hall  to  give 
alarms  of  fire;  the  city  being  divided  into  six  areas, 
radiating  from  the  belfry,  numbered  one  to  six;  and  on 
the  occasion  of  a  fire  in  one  of  them,  it  was  designated 
by  a  like  number  of  strokes  of  the  bell.  It  gave  a 
sombre,  ominous  tone,  appropriate  to  the  message  it 
conveyed.  Many  New  Yorkers  still  in  active  life  will 
remember    the    thrilling   deep  note   of  "  the   Hall  Bell." 

Excitement  over  the  removal  of  deposits  from  the 
United  States  Bank  continued,  and  meetings  of  both 
parties  were  convened.  In  January  a  meeting  at  the 
Exchange  appointed  delegates  to  convey  a  memorial  to 
Congress,  and  in  February  a  large  open-air  gathering  in 
the  Park  was  the  scene  of  considerable  disturbance.  On 
February  7,  another  meeting  in  the  Exchange  and  the 
neighboring  part  of  Wall  Street  assembled  to  receive  the 
report  of  the  delegates  in  charge  of  the  memorial. 
These  things  greatly  intensified  interest  in  the  coming 
municipal  election,  which  became  almost  purely  political 
in  its  nature  and  was  held  to  bear  chiefly  on  "  the  Bank 
question." 

In  January  the  old  line  of  Liverpool  packets  was  sold 
out,  and  Goodhue  &  Co.  became  the  agents.  This 
winter  there  was  long  delay  in  westward  passages  from 
Europe,  and  at  one  time  out  of  forty-six  regular  packet- 
ships  engaged  in  European  trade  from  New  York  but 
two  were  in  this  port,  and  they  on  the  eve  of  sailing 
hence.  The  latest  advices  from  Liverpool  at  that  date 
were  seventy-one  days  old. 

February  5.  The  long  and  embarrassing  controversy 
between  this  State  and  New  Jersey  regarding  the  bound- 
ary line,  which  was  finally  defined  by  the  Commissioners, 
was  ratified  by  our  Legislature  and  by  that  of  New 
Jersey,  and  sanctioned  by  Congress. 

The  principal  lines  defined  were  :  The  middle  of  the 
North  River,  from  a  point  on  the  41st  degree  of  latitude; 


GIDEON    LEE,    MAYOR  287 

the  middle  of  the  Bay  ;  of  the  Strait  (Kill  von  Kull) 
between  Staten  Island  and  New  Jersey,  and  of  Raritan 
Bay  to  the  sea,  excepting  jurisdiction  by  New  York  over 
Bedlow's,  Ellis',  and  all  other  islands  in  those  waters  then 
subject  to  its  jurisdiction.  A  qualified  jurisdiction,  as  it 
was  termed,  was  retained  by  New  York  in  the  waters  of 
the  Hudson  River,  and  the  Bay  west  of  New  York  Island, 
south  of  Spuyten  Duyvil  Creek,  and  over  the  lands 
covered  by  such  waters  to  low  water  mark  on  the  Jersey 
side.  New  York  to  have  exclusive  jurisdiction  in  relation 
to  quarantine  laws  and  passengers,  of  and  over  the  waters 
of  Kill  von  Kull  to  the  west  side  of  Shooter's  Island,  and 
also  over  the  waters  of  the  Sound  from  the  west  side  of 
Shooter's  Island  to  Woodbridge  creek. 

April  8  occurred  the  charter  election,  the  first 
election  of  the  Mayor  by  popular  vote  under  the  new 
law.  The  candidates  were  Cornelius  W.  Lawrence, 
Democrat,  and  Gulian  C.  Yerplanck,  Whig,  the  latter 
a  firm  "Bank  Man,"  the  former,  "anti-Bank."  The 
interest  in  the  election  may  be  estimated  from  the  fact 
that  many  stores  were  closed  at  noon  to  allow  working 
at  the  polls,  and  from  the  great  vote  that  was  cast — 
exceeding  thirty-five  thousand — and  the  closeness  of  the 
result.  The  days  of  election  at  this  period  were  three, 
beginning  on  Tuesday,  with  a  single  polling-place  in  each 
ward.  So  close  was  the  result,  that  it  was  not  until  late 
on  Friday  that  the  result  of  203  Democratic  majority  was 
known;  and  in  the  interval  of  the  prolonged  canvass  the 
excitement  consequent  thereon  was  such  as  never  was 
witnessed  before  or  since.  Wall  Street  was  crowded 
from  morning  until  evening,  and  returns  from  the  differ- 
ent wards  were  proclaimed  from  the  steps  of  the  Mer- 
chants' Exchange. 

During  the  progress  of  this  election,  and  the  canvass- 
ing of  the  tickets,  there  was  some  rioting,  which  but  for 
the  zealous  and  effective  action  of  a  large  number  of  the 


288  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

citizens,  subsequently  supported  by  a  military  force, 
would  have  been  attended  with  serious  results.  At  the 
poll  in  the  Sixth  Ward,  the  Whig  quarters  had  been 
invaded  by  a  party  of  Democrats,  and  the  ballot  distrib- 
utors were  driven  out.  A  body  of  special  police  was 
then  formed,  led  by  James  Watson  Webb,  editor  of  the 
Courier  and  Enquirer,  and  the  quarters  were  restored  and 
defended,  though  at  the  cost  of  much  fighting  and  many 
bodily  injuries.  Soon  after,  both  parties  became  highly 
excited.  Wall  Street  in  front  of  the  Merchants'  Ex- 
change was  thronged.  Webb  and  others  addressed  the 
crowd,  and  it  being  declared  that  the  arsenal  in  Elm 
Street  was  about  being  stormed,  the  Whigs  rushed  there 
and  took  possession  of  it.  Simeon  Draper,  who  was  a 
well-known  partisan  in  the  Whig  camp,  took  an  active 
and  conspicuous  part,  and  Colonel  Arcularius,  who  was  in 
charge  of  the  arsenal,  in  his  report  referred  to  his  action 
as  that  of  "a  man  with  a  claret-colored  coat,"  which 
designation  was  jocularly  given  to  Draper  for  several 
years  after.  A  body  of  Democrats,  exasperated  by  the 
offensive  partisanship  of  Mr.  Webb,  proposed  to  attack 
the  office  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer,  but  Webb  had  very 
considerately  provided  an  armed  force  within  it,  and  had 
borne  a  great  number  of  paving-stones  upon  the  roof  to 
be  projected  upon  the  attacking  party  below.  His  pre- 
cautions were  not  only  very  well  designed,  but  effective. 

April  8.  Fulton  Street  from  Broadway  to  Ryder's  Alley 
widened. 

The  installation  and  assumption  of  office  by  the  first 
Mayor  elected  by  the  people  were  held  to  be  deserving 
of  more  than  the  usual  and  restricted  ceremony  of 
merely  calling  and  shaking  hands.  Mr.  Lawrence  having 
provided  some  refreshments,  the  attendance  was  so  large 
that  it  became  turbulent  and  even  destructive,  rendering 
necessary  the  presence  of  police  officers  to  disperse  it. 

Though   the   Democratic   Mayor  was  elected,  a   Whig 


CORNELIUS    W.    LAWRENCE,    MAYOR  289 

Common  Council  was  chosen,  and  the  Whigs  deemed  it 
a  triumph,  which  they  celebrated  by  a  banquet  at  Castle 
Garden,  where  a  double  row  of  tables  ran  around  the 
interior,  inclosing  a  pavilion  wherein  were  three  pipes  of 
wine  and  forty  barrels  of  beer,  which  were  dispensed  to 
the  crowd.  After  the  banquet  a  portion  of  the  company 
was  addressed  by  Daniel  Webster  from  a  window  of  Mrs. 
Edgar's  house  in  Greenwich  Street. 

It  was  during  the  Mayoralty  election  of  this  year  that 
the  term  "Silk  Stocking"  party  was  applied  by  the 
Democrats  to  their  opponents,  arising  from  the  circum- 
stance that  the  excitement  of  the  campaign  was  such  as 
to  draw  many  retired  and  hitherto  non-partisans  into  it 
in  opposition  to  the  Democrats. 

June  25  took  place  a  memorial  observance  of  the 
death  of  Lafayette,  which  had  occurred  on  May  20.  A 
procession,  in  which  the  military  made  an  exceptionally 
fine  display,  marched  from  City  Hall  Park  to  Castle  Gar- 
den, where  an  address  was  delivered  by  P'rederick  A. 
Tallmadge.  The  whole  proceedings  of  the  day,  under 
direction  of  the  city  authorities,  were  tasteful  and  becom- 
ing as  New  York's  last  tribute  to  the  last  Major-General 
of  the  Continental  Army. 

July  9,  a  riot  occurred  at  the  Chatham  Street 
Chapel,  in  consequence  of  the  claim  of  a  musical 
society  to  be  entitled  to  the  occupancy  of  the  chapel 
on  an  evening  when  some  negroes  wanted  it  to  hear 
a  preacher  of  their  race.  Upon  being  refused  admit- 
tance, they  burst  in,  and  were  eventually  removed 
and  quieted  by  a  body  of  police.  On  the  following 
evening,  a  crowd  broke  into  the  room  and  organized  a 
meeting,  during  which  it  was  insidiously  announced  by 
some  person  that  an  actor  of  the  New  York  "Bowery" 
Theatre,  Mr.  Fallen,  was  an  Englishman,  and  that  he 
had  expressed  himself  in  an  offensive  manner  regard- 
ing this  country,  and  that  he  was  anti-slavery  ;  where- 
10 


290  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

upon  the  party  proceeded  to  the  theatre,  invaded  the 
house  in  all  parts,  and  hissed  and  hooted  Hamblin  the 
manager,  despite  an  American  flag  which  he  employed 
as  a  buckler  against  the  missiles  projected  at  him. 
Forrest  was  called  for,  and  Fallen  made  his  escape. 
The  rioters  were  finally  driven  out  by  the  police,  but 
being  elated  with  their  success  at  the  theatre,  they  then 
proceeded  to  Lewis  Tappan's  house  at  40  Rose  Street 
and  sacked  it.  On  the  following  and  succeeding  evening 
a  mob  sacked  the  house  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Ludlow  on 
Thompson  Street;  the  African  Chapel,  corner  of  Church 
and  Leonard  streets;  St.  Philip's  Church  in  Centre 
Street,  and  stoned  Dr.  Cox's  church,  corner  of  Varick 
and  Laight  streets.  A  greater  part  of  the  rioting  and 
sacking  I  witnessed. 

This  might  be  termed  "riot  year."  In  August  hap- 
pened the  "Stone-cutters'  riot,"  organized  against 
employment  of  convicts  from  Sing  Sing  in  preparing 
marble  for  New  York  buildings,  especially  the  University 
Building  then  in  progress  (the  one  between  Washington 
Place  and  Waverly  Place,  just  now  removed,  1894). 
This  riot  was  dispersed  only  by  the  Twenty-seventh 
(now  the  Seventh)  Regiment,  which  lay  under  arms  in 
Washington  Parade  Grounds  for  four  days  and  nights. 

The  talk  of  a  new  water  supply  took  definite  form  in 
the  Croton  Aqueduct  project,  for  which  the  beginnings 
of  surveys  and  estimates  were  made  in  this  year. 

September  29,  James  Sheridan  Knowles  was  seen  at  the 
Park  for  the  first  time  in  America,  assuming  the  part  of 
Master  Walter  in  his  own  "  Hunchback."  Knowles  was 
but  a  mediocre  actor.  He  returned  to  England  at  the 
close  of  the  season. 

The  political  canvass  of  this  fall  was  very  animated, 
New  York  being  the  "pivotal  State,"  the  vote  of  which 
would  determine  approval  of  President  Jackson,  and 
settle   the    "  Hank  question,"  the  probable  succession   to 


CORNELIUS    W.    LAWRENCE,    MAYOR 


291 


the  Presidency  of  Martin  Van  Buren,  etc.  The  result 
was  a  sweeping  defeat  of  the  Whigs. 

The  Murray  House,  on  a  tract  of  land  bordered  by  the 
Old  Boston  Road,  which  gave  name  to  Murray  Hill,  was 
destroyed  by   fire  in   this   year. 

Fernando  Wood,  who  was  a  cigar  manufacturer  at 
133  Washington  Street,  discontinued   the  work,  and   was 


Q 


STRYKER'S   HOUSE,   FOOT  OF   WEST   FIFTY-SECOND  STREE1 


employed  by  Francis  Secor  &  Son,  ship  carpenters  and 
proprietors  of  a  marine  railway,  103  Washington  Street. 
At  that  time  West  Street  was  not  continued  out  so  far 
north,  and   Washington  at   that   point  was  open    to   the 


river. 


John  J.  Boyd,  assistant  alderman  of  the  First  Ward, 
introduced  in  his  board  a  resolution  designed  to  effect 
the  passage  of  an  ordinance   requiring  houses  of  prosti- 


292  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

tution  to  be  licensed  and  maintained  under  surveillance. 
The  community  at  large  were  so  wholly  unprepared  for 
such  an  acknowledgment  of  the  existence  of  these  houses, 
and  displayed  so  much  puerility  and  mawkish  sentiment, 
that  his  essay  was  ignored,  and  socially  he  suffered  for  it. 

In  the  fall  of  this  year,  and  soon  after  the  general 
election  in  this  State,  in  which  the  Democratic  party  was 
exceptionally  successful,  Tyrone  Power  was  performing 
at  the  Park  Theatre,  and  Ritchings  in  his  character  in 
the  afterpiece,  referring  to  a  wig,  was  required  to  say 
"Wigs  are  out  of  date,"  which  expression  was  at  once 
seized  upon  by  a  notorious  political  partisan  from  the 
Seventh  Ward,  who,  with  some  friends,  was  present  in 
the  pit,  and  he  and  they  applauded  vociferously.  There- 
upon such  of  the  adverse  faction  as  were  present  hissed, 
and  for  a  long  period  the  uproar  continued,  and  was 
quieted  only  by  Ritchings  coming  forward  and  disavow- 
ing any  purpose  of  allusion  to  a  political  party. 

November,  Mme.  Celeste  reappeared  at  the  "Bowery" 
Theatre  after  some  years  of  absence,  and  repeated  her 
former  triumphs,  her  engagement  lasting  (though  not 
continuously)  till  the  next  May. 

Perhaps  I  have  not  sufficiently  displayed  one  theatrical 
characteristic  of  this  and  a  somewhat  earlier  period, 
which  consisted  in  the  dramatization  of  Scott's  and 
Cooper's  novels.  It  may  be  safely  said  that  almost  all 
the  popular  works  of  those  authors  were  thus  presented 
from  time  to  time,  and  some  of  them  most  successfully. 
They  were  given  not  only  as  plays,  but  sometimes  in 
operatic  form. 

Commodore  Vanderbilt,  designing  to  build  another 
steamboat,  expressed  his  views  in  the  presence  of  a 
steward  of  one  of  his  boats,  who  immediately  replied  : 
"I  can  furnish  eight  thousand  dollars."  The  surprise 
of  the  commodore  can  be  appreciated,  when  it  is  related 
that  this  man  had  come  into  his  employ  but  a  few  years 


CORNELIUS    W.    LAWRENXE,    MAYOR  293 

previous.  This  man  was  subsequently  part  owner  and 
captain  of  a  steamboat  on  the  Albany  line,  touching  at  the 
State  Prison  wharf,  foot  of  Christopher  Street.  It  was 
customary  with  him  to  visit  the  dining  cabin  before 
meals,  to  check  any  sumptuousness  in  the  furnishing  of 
the  table.     On  one  occasion,  upon  seeing  two  potatoes 

on  one  plate,  he  exclaimed:    " two  potatoes  on  one 

plate  !  Cut  them  in  four  pieces  and  string  them  along." 
Occasionally  he  ventured  upon  an  address  to  the  occu- 
pants of  the  breakfast  table.  "Ladies  and  gentlemen,  I 
am  very  sorry,  but  my  steward  did  not  reach  the  wharf 
in  time  with  the  breakfast  provisions,  and  as  they  were 
all  left  you  must  excuse  me  this  time."  At  the  same  time 
the  steward  was  standing  aside  of  him  dressed  as  a  waiter. 
The  captain  continued  in  employ,  and  in  a  few  years 
after  was  the  principal  owner  of  one  of  our  largest  Sound 
steamers.  I  was  a  passenger  on  the  boat  on  one  occa- 
sion, and  learned  of  the  scene  in  the  cabin  from  a 
steamboat  man,  an  intimate  acquaintance. 

In  this  year  Morris  Canal  stock  was  bought  up  much 
below  par  by  a  party  of  operators,  who  "  unloaded  "  it  at 
a  great  advance.  Webb  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer,  for 
a  long  while  after,  was  frequently  reported  by  Bennett  of 
the  Herald  ws>  ejaculating  "curses  on  Morris." 

July  following  this  a  "corner"  was  operated  in  stock 
of  the  New  York  and  Harlem  road,  when  a  settlement 
was  effected  by  which  a  profit  of  over  sixty  per  cent,  was 
realized. 

About  this  period  there  was  edited  and  published  a 
notoriously  vile  and  scurrilous  paper  termed  The  Hawk 
atid  Buzzard.  The  burden  of  its  articles  was  of  a  vil- 
lanous  character,  in  keeping  with  its  title.  Xo  one  of 
any  prominence  was  safe  from  its  innuendoes;  and 
although  not  designated  by  name,  his  residence  or  place 
of  business  would  be  pointed  out  as  being  not  a  thousand 
miles   from  some  locality  or  building  near  his   house  or 


294  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

office,  and  in  a  manner  that  exposed  the  party  as  clearly 
as  if  his  name  had  been  given.  Like  a  hawk  it  pounced 
upon  every  one  inferior  in  its  own  manner  of  warfare, 
and  like  a  buzzard  revelled  in  offensive  and  noxious 
matter.  Finally,  it  became  so  offensive  to  society  in 
general  that  it  was  held  disgraceful  to  be  seen  with  it, 
and  its  publication  ceased. 

At  the  political  headquarters  and  polling-place  in  each 
ward — for  it  is  to  be  borne  in  mind  that  there  was  but 
one  such  place  in  each — it  was  usual  to  erect  a  very  high 
spar,  surmounted  with  a  gilded  cap  of  liberty,  termed  a 
Liberty  Pole.  In  consequence  of  the  enthusiasm  of  the 
Whigs  about  this  period,  they  erected  these  poles  at  their 
ward  headquarters.  Such  erections  have  since  ceased, 
and  unless  one  had  witnessed  the  rearing  of  one,  he 
would  doubt  that  the  occasion  could  have  been  made  one 
of  such  preparation  and  consummation — a  platoon  of 
mounted  horsemen  decked  with  ribbons,  a  band  of  music, 
grand  marshal  and  his  aids,  flags,  emblems,  citizens  in 
carriages  and  on  foot,  speeches,  fireworks,  etc.  In  fact, 
it  was  a  display  "more  honored  in  the  breach  than  in  the 
observance." 

In  this  year  M.  M.  Noah  founded  the  Evening  Star. 
It  supported  Harrison  in  1840.  In  1841  it  was  merged 
with  the  Commercial  Advertiser. 

1835.  1°  tnis  year  the  following  streets  were  widened: 
Wall  Street,  at  Pearl;  Chatham,  from  Pearl  to  Mott; 
Liberty,  from  Nassau  to  William;  New,  from  Wall  to 
Beaver;  William,  from  Wall  to  Maiden  Lane  ;  and 
Centre  both  widened  and  extended  from  Grand  to 
Chatham.     Coenties  Slip  was  partly  filled  in. 

January  12.  The  question  of  the  relative  merits  of  the 
New  York  and  Philadelphia  fire-engines  being  constantly 
discussed,  the  Common  Council  deputed  a  committee 
from  its  members  to  proceed  to  Philadelphia  and  pro- 
cure one  of  its  "gallery"   or   "double-decked   engines," 


CORNELIUS    W.    LAWRENCE,    MAYOR  295 

which  it  did,  and  subsequently  a  second  was  obtained. 
They  had  much  greater  capacity,  but  were  too  cumber- 
some for  a  light  company  of  men. 

February  28,  the  St.  Nicholas  Society  was  organized, 
Peter  G.  Stuyvesant  elected  president  and  Hamilton 
Fish,  secretary.  A  preliminary  meeting  had  been  held 
on  the  14th,  of  which  Washington  Irving  was  secretary. 
The  first  annual  meeting  was  held  and  celebrated  on 
December  30. 

May  6.  The  first  number  of  the  Morning  Herald,  sub- 
sequently the  New  York  Herald,  edited  and  published  by 
James  G.  Bennett  &  Co.,  from  the  basement  of  Xo.  20 
Wall  Street,  appeared  this  day  in  four  pages  of  four 
columns  10^  by  14^2  inches,  price  one  cent;  the 
second  number  on  the  eleventh.  On  the  31st  of  August 
it  appeared  as  the  Herald,  by  James  Gordon  Bennett,  and 
subsequent  to  this  as  the  Morning  Herald  and  again  as  the 
Herald.  The  ultimate  success  of  this  essay  was  held  to 
be  very  questionable;  but  the  tone  of  the  articles,  aided 
by  some  interesting  letters  with  the  )iom  de  plume  of 
"Hector"  from  Washington,  furnished  by  a  resident  who 
had  held  office  there  for  many  years,  until  displaced  by 
a  change  in  the  administration,  was  such  as  to  please  and 
interest  the  public,  and  its  success  was  assured. 

Randall's  Island  was  purchased  by  the  city  for  fifty 
thousand  dollars.  In  May,  Mary  Gannon,  so  long  familiar 
at  Wallack's  in  after  years,  made  her  first  appearance,  as 
a  child  of  six,  at  this  house.  Fanny  Kemble's  Journal,  now 
exciting  attention,  having  compared  reporters  to  "bugs," 
an  amusing  burlesque  entitled  "The  Bugs,"  in  which 
some  of  Miss  Kemble's  peculiarities  were  satirized,  was 
produced  amid  much  laughter  at  the  "Bowery"  in  July. 

May  11,  Tompkins  Street  was  ordered  to  be  opened  from 
Thirteenth  Street  to  Twenty- third  Street.  Subsequently 
rescinded. 

Franklin  Market  at  Old  Slip  was  destroyed  by  fire;  and 
rebuilt  in  1836. 


296  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

The  University  Building  on  Wooster  Street  (now  Uni- 
versity Place),  begun  in  1833,  was  finished. 

This  year  saw  the  printing  of  newspapers  by  steam 
for  the  first  time,  under  the  auspices  of  Robert  M.  Hoe, 
the  Sun  being  the  first  paper  thus  printed.  The  average 
daily  circulation  of  the  six  leading  newspapers  was  com- 
puted not  to  exceed  seventeen  hundred. 

Up  to  this  period  there  were  no  real  estate  brokers; 
the  business,  when  an  outside  party  was  employed,  being 
confined  to  James  Bleecker  &  Son,  auctioneers. 

Greenwich  Market,  located  in  1813  in  Christopher 
Street,  from  Greenwich  to  Washington  Street,  was  on 
ground  vested  in  the  city  by  the  vestry  of  Trinity  Church, 
with  the  provision  that  when  it  ceased  to  be  used  as  a 
market  it  should  revert  to  the  church.  In  this  year,  in 
consequence  of  the  diversion  of  its  tenants  to  the  Spring 
Street  and  other  markets,  it  was  taken  down,  and  the  area 
by  ordinance  was  retained  and  appropriated  for  market 
purposes  in  order  to  prevent  the  church  from  taking  pos- 
session. 

A  well-known  citizen  and  enterprising  builder,  who  de- 
signed and  constructed  the  Colonade  Row  of  houses  in 
Lafayette  Place,  was  in  the  habit  of  visiting  an  oyster 
cellar  in  Broadway  near  Lispenard  Street  in  the  evening, 
which  had  a  double  door  of  entrance,  or,  that  when  they 
are  very  narrow  are  termed  two  half-doors.  Through  the 
opening  of  one  he  passed  when  entering  the  cellar,  but 
upon  departing  it  was  related  that  the  second  fold  was 
necessarily  opened  to  admit  of  his  passing  out.  This  was 
not  an  invidious  charge,  it  was  a  fact,  and  one  I  have 
witnessed,  and  of  which  operation  it  may  aptly  be  quoted, 
Facilis  descensus  Ai'cmi  est,  seJ  revocare  gradutny  superasque 
evadere  ad  auras,  hoc  opus,  hie  labor  est. 

Samuel  F.  B.  Morse,  in  his  essays  to  convince  the  peo- 
ple of  the  practicability  and  consequent  utility  of  gener- 
ating and    controlling  an   electric  current,   caused   to  be 


CORNELIUS    W.    LAWRENCE,    MAYOR  297 

laid  a  metallic  wire  around  the  inner  circle  of  Castle 
Garden,  and  publicly  exhibited  the  passage  of  an  electric 
current  through  the  wire.  He  had  conceived  the  idea  in 
1832. 

Grant  Thorburn,  a  grocer  in  1797  at  No.  22  Nassau, 
a  seedsman  and  florist  in  1806  at  No.  22  Liberty  Street, 
from  his  eccentricity,  loquacity,  quaker-clothes,  and 
crippled  gait,  etc.,  was  a  well-known  character.  He 
told  me  once  he  had  "wrought  with  Tom  Paine." 
When  the  morns  multicaulis  fever  broke  out  he,  with 
many  others,  was  seized,  with  it — so  virulently  that 
he  planted  mulberry  trees  on  an  extensive  scale — and 
while  others  withdrew  at  the  proper  time,  or  in  the 
language  of  the  day,  "sold  out,"  he,  from  the  force  of 
a  fervid  imagination,  retained  faith  in  the  success  of  the 
enterprise,  and  when  it  failed  signally  he  was  financially 
ruined.  Thorburn  was  well  known  as  "  Laurie  Todd," 
a  name  which  he  appended  to  his  frequent  newspaper 
contributions. 

The  New  York  and  Erie  Railroad,  a  preliminary  survey 
for  which  had  been  made  in  1825,  through  the  southern 
tier  of  counties,  was  not  approved  of,  but  in  1832  the 
company  was  incorporated,  in  1833  organized,  and  in 
this  year  a  final  survey  was  made,  and  on  the  7th  of 
November  the  construction  of  the  roadway  commenced. 
The  company  applied  to  the  legislature  for  State  aid 
to  the  amount  of  two  million  dollars,  but  the  application 
was  refused. 

This  was  a  season  of  very  great  apparent  business  pros- 
perity in  New  York,  with  inflated  prices  for  every  sort  of 
commodity.  City  real  estate,  in  particular,  showed  un- 
heard of  values,  some  considerable  transfers  being  made 
at  prices  four  times  as  high  as  were  paid  for  the  same 
property  but  few  years  earlier. 

The  Book  Club,  founded  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Wainwright, 
was  one  of  the  favorite  institutions  of  this  time,  holding 


290  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

fortnightly  meetings  at  the  Washington  Hotel.  In  spite 
of  its  name,  the  Club  was  rather  convivial  than  literary, 
though  the  meetings  were  much  attended  by  men  of 
literary  tastes,  as  Halleck,  Ogden  Hoffman,  Dr.  Fran- 
cis, etc. 

The  Croton  Aqueduct  project,  being  submitted  to 
popular  vote  at  the  spring  election,  was  adopted  by  a 
large  majority. 

In  June  of  this  year  our  native  citizens  became  excited 
upon  a  call  issued  in  one  of  the  newspapers  for  attend- 
ance at  a  meeting  with  a  view  to  organize  an  O'Connell 
Guard.  On  the  21st  of  that  month  an  encounter  took 
place  between  two  parties  in  Grand  near  Crosby  Street 
in  which  Dr.  McCaffrey  was  killed.  The  riot  extended 
to  Pearl  Street,  when  it  was  arrested,  and  the  crowd 
partially  dispersed.  On  the  2 2d,  a  mob  proceeded  to  a 
restaurant  in  the  Bowery,  near  Broome  Street,  known 
as  the  Green  Dragon,  broke  in,  and  destroyed  tables, 
chairs,  etc.,  before  it  could  be  checked.  This  was  known 
as  "the  Five  Points  Riot." 

June  16,  Wall  Street  widened  on  south  side  from  Broad 
to  Pearl  Street. 

In  or  about  1832  a  party  of  young  gentlemen  of  the 
city  organized  a  boat  club,  elected  Charles  Fenno  Hoffman 
captain,  and  had  a  very  commodious  barge  constructed. 
The  example  was  soon  followed  by  others,  and  in  this 
year  the  number  of  boat  clubs  was  at  its  height.  There 
was  an  annual  regatta  at  which  prizes  were  competed 
for.  July  2 1  st  there  was  a  boat  race  for  one  thousand 
dollars  between  the  boats  Eagle  and  Wavey  which  was 
won  by  the  latter. 

August  12th,  a  fire  broke  out  at  115  Fulton  Street, 
that  involved  almost  the  whole  printing  and  publishing 
neighborhood.  Before  it  could  be  checked  it  had  burned 
both  sides  of  Fulton  Street  for  nearly  a  block,  both  sides 
of  Ann  Street  to  Nassau  (including  the  Roman  Catholic 


CORNELIUS    W.    LAWRENXE,    MAYOR  299 

church,  which  originally  was  Episcopal,  and  owned  by 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Selden),  and  a  dozen  buildings  in  Nassau 
Street.  Five  lives  were  lost,  and  as  the  buildings  burned 
were  chiefly  new,  the  pecuniary  loss  also  was  great. 

August  27,  a  public  meeting  of  citizens,  for  the  purpose 
of  expressing  their  opinion  in  relation  to  the  action  of 
the  Abolitionists,  was  called  to  meet  in  the  City  Hall 
Park.  On  assembling,  the  Mayor  was  called  on  to  pre- 
side, and  the  attendance  was  not  only  large,  but  in  the 
character  of  those  who  took  an  active  part  in  the  pro- 
ceedings it  was  far  in  advance  of  any  public  assemblage 
I  ever  witnessed. 

In  the  fall  of  this  year  the  Street  Department  com- 
menced a  test  of  the  fitness  of  wrooden  block  pavement; 
the  point  selected  was  in  Broadway  between  Chambers 
and  Warren  streets.  Hemlock  blocks  were  well  bedded 
on  a  foundation  somewhat  alike  to  a  "Telford."  For 
some  months  vehicles  ran  over  the  surface  so  smoothly 
and  noiselessly  that  the  public  were  in  raptures,  and  Mr. 
Brower,  then  the  proprietor  of  the  largest  line  of  Broad- 
way omnibuses,  remarked  in  my  presence  that  he  would 
give  one  hundred  dollars  per  year  for  each  of  his  stages 
if  Broadway  were  paved  in  like  manner  throughout.  How 
long  this  desirable  condition  of  the  pavement  lasted  I  do 
not  recollect,  but  I  do  know  that  within  a  year  that  which 
remained  of  it  was  positively  ludicrous  in  its  condition  — 
irregularly  worn,  depressed  in  spots,  risen  in  others,  and 
the  voids  patched  and  plastered  with  cobble-stones  and 
cement. 

The  difficulty  was,  the  bedding  was  not  sufficiently 
stable  for  the  blocks,  and  they  were  too  soft  for  the 
travel  in  Broadway  at  that  point. 

September.  It  was  alleged  that  parties  in  New 
Orleans,  Mobile,  Savannah,  Charleston,  and  Norfolk  had 
contributed  the  sum  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars 
to    be    expended    in    the  abduction   of  either  Arthur   or 


300  REMINISCENXES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

Lewis  Tappan,  two  zealous  Abolitionists,  and  that  it  was 
designed  to  avail  of  a  favorable  opportunity  to  seize  and 
carry  them  to  a  vessel  awaiting  off  Sandy  Hook. 

Later,  it  was  further  alleged  that  the  Committee  of 
Vigilance  of  East  Feliciana,  La.,  offered  a  premium  of 
fifty  thousand  dollars  to  any  one  who  would  kill  Arthur 
Tappan,  then  the  head  of  the  anti-slavery  movement; 
both  of  which  offers  were  very  generally  disapproved  of, 
both  at  the  North  and  the  South. 

October  4,  a  party  of  young  Englishmen,  the  guests 
of  the  Marquis  of  Waterford,  who  had  lately  arrived  here 
in  his  yacht,  consisting  of  Lords  John  Beresford  and 
Jocelyn  and  Colonel  Dundas,  indulged  in  a  night  spree 
in  the  streets,  amusing  themselves,  to  the  inconvenience 
of  all  others,  until  they  were  arrested  by  watchmen,  kept 
in  the  watch-house  all  night,  and  arraigned  before  Justice 
Hopson  in  the  morning. 

October  21,  the  steamboat  Champlain,  of  the  New 
York  and  Albany  Line,  made  the  run  from  Albany  in  eight 
hours  and  seventeen  minutes,  exclusive  of  stoppages  at 
different  landings. 

Society  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul  in  the  City  of  New  York 
organized.  The  headquarters  of  this  Society  is  in  Paris; 
its  objects  are  the  practice  of  Christian  life;  the  visiting 
and  succoring  of  the  poor,  etc.* 

At  this  time  there  was  a  very  serious  dissension  in  the 
Democratic  party,  incited  in  a  great  measure  by  Mr. 
William  Leggett,  the  editor  of  the  Evening  J\>$t,  one  of 
the  ablest  political  writers  of  the  period.  Logical,  caustic, 
and  wholly  regardless  of  the  favor  of  any  one,  he  was  an 
acknowledged  power.  Levi  D.  Slamm  and  Alex.  Ming, 
Jr.,  a  printer,  were  converts  to  his  views,  and  they  led 
a  numerous   band   of   partisans.     On  the    occasion   of  a 

*  In  1S74,  a  similar  Institution,  The  United  Hebrew  Charities  of  the 
City  of  New  York,  was  organized,  its  objects  being  to  relieve  distress 
among  the  Hebrew  poor  and  to  prevent   pauperism. 


CORNELIUS    W.    LAWRENCE,    MAYOR  3OI 

County  meeting  at  Tammany  Hall,  on  October  25,  the 
room  was  filled  by  the  partisans  of  the  Regular  Democ- 
racy and  the  discontented;  the  latter  being  led  by  Slamm 
and  Ming,  who  anticipated  that  the  regulars  would  resort 
to  an  act  that  had  been  practised  with  success  on  a  pre- 
vious occasion,  viz.  :  submitting  resolutions,  declaring 
them  carried,  and  then,  by  previous  arrangement,  and  at 
a  signal,  having  the  gas  turned  off;  thus  terminating  the 
meeting.  But  the  opponents  were  well  supplied  with 
candles  and  friction  matches,  then  universally  termed 
loco  foco,  and  so  soon  as  the  gas  was  turned  off,  as  actu- 
ally happened,  they  lighted  their  candles,  organized,  and 
proceeded  with  their  business.  This  action  gave  rise  to 
the  sobriquet  of  Loco  Foco  party,  and  the  Democratic  party 
was  thus  designated  for  many  years  afterward.  Ex 
nomine  cujus  venit  verbum  vernaculum.  The  object  of  the 
opposition  at  this  meeting  was  to  defeat  the  nomination 
of  Gideon  Lee  for  Congress.  This  year  the  Native 
American  party  nominated  a  Congressional  candidate  in 
Xew  York.  The  opposition  papers,  in  referring  to  the 
party  in  this  city,  termed  it  that  of  "Slamm,  Bang,  Ming 
&  Co." 

Booth  the  tragedian  sometimes  suffered  the  affliction 
under  which  the  great  George  Frederick  Cooke  *  (whose 
monument  is  to  be  seen  in  St.  Paul's  Churchyard)  fre- 
quently suffered.  On  an  occasion  of  his  appearing  as 
Iago  at  the  "  Bowery  "  Theatre,  he  abruptly  left  the  stage, 
made  an  exit  through  a  back  door,  and  was  not  found 
for    some    days.      When  found,    however,    and     brought 

*  It  is  related  of  Cooke  (George  Frederick)  that  when  in  a  condition 
that  necessitated  his  being  brought  to  the  theatre,  he  would  still  perform 
in  a  perfectly  satisfactory  manner.  A  gentleman  of  my  acquaintance,  who 
was  an  enthusiastic  admirer  of  him,  told  me  that  he  had  seen  him  per- 
form Richard  III.  in  three  manners,  viz.:  as  an  abashed  villain,  as 
usually  represented,  as  a  deep  and  cunning  schemer,  and  as  a  dashing 
and  chivalrous  gentleman. 


302 


REMIXISCEN'CES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


EXCHANGE   PLACE,   CORNER   OF   HANOVER   STREET 


to  the  theatre,  he  signed  an  apology  to  the  public  for 
his  unconscious  act,  caused  "by  mental  inquietude,  etc," 
or  words  to  that  effect,  whereupon  he  was  again  engaged 
and  for  a  time  performed  acceptably. 

The  United  States  frigate  Constitution  arrived  here 
from  Boston,  where,  with  the  exception  of  a  piece  of  her 
keel,  she  had  been  wholly  reconstructed  upon  her  original 
lines.  Ordinarily,  the  ornamented  heads  of  our  vessels 
of  war  were  simple  "  billet  heads,"  as  they  were  termed; 
but  in  this  case,  in  compliment  to  General  Jackson,  then 
President,  who  had  interposed  to  prevent  the  said  vessel 
from  being  wholly  destroyed  and  her  name  erased  from 
the  roll  of  the  Navy,  a  full  figure  of  him  was  substituted. 
At  this  period   political   partisanship   (Whigs    and  Demo- 


CORNELIUS    W.    LAWYENCE,    MAYOR  303 

crats)  was  being  conducted  with  a  Yigor  and  asperity 
more  alike  to  that  of  the  early  days  of  the  Republic  than 
any  exhibition  of  it  that  has  since  occurred,  and  it  par- 
took  also  of  especial  animosity  to  General  Jackson.  On 
a  stormy  night  when  the  Constitution  was  at  anchor  off  the 
Navy  Yard,  the  head  of  the  figure  was  sawn  off,  and  said  to 
have  been  taken  to  Philadelphia,  where  at  a  dinner  it  was 
brought  in  on  a  salver.  In  the  mean  time  the  vessel  was 
ordered  to  New  York,  where  a  head  by  the  ship-carvers, 
Messrs.  Dodge,  was  restored. 

The  man  who  was  said  to  have  committed  the  act,  so 
generally  applauded  by  Whigs  and  equally  condemned  by 
the  Democrats,  was  reported  to  have  died  a  few  months 
since  (1894).  I  knew  him,  and  in  manner  and  sentiment 
and  figure,  he  was  just  such  as  one  would  select  for  such 
a  hazardous  enterprise. 

The  mission  of  the  Constitution  was  to  proceed  to 
Trance,  and  if  the  Indemnity  Bill,  awarding  the  claims  of 
our  countrymen  for  spoliation  during  the  late  war  of 
France  with  England,  had  not  passed,  she  was  to  bear  the 
American  Minister  to  the  United  States,  but,  if  it  had 
passed,  she  was  to  proceed  to  the  Mediterranean.  She 
proceeded. 

The  attention  of  real  estate  speculators  having  become 
directed  from  Second  Avenue  and  St.  Mark's  Place  to 
Brooklyn  property,  especially  the  water-front,  farms  at 
Gowanus,  Red  Hook,  etc. — land  which  could  have  been 
bought  for  one  hundred  dollars  per  acre  a  very  few  years 
previous — were  sold  for  five  and  six  hundred  dollars.  It 
was  an  ephemeral  valuation,  and  when  reaction  came,  as 
it  did  in  1837,  the  prices  decreased  as  rapidly  as  they  had 
risen,  and  to  an  extent  that  induced  not  only  foreclosures, 
but  voluntary  abandonments  of  the  purchases  with  the  loss 
of  the  amount  paid.  An  amusing  account  was  current  of 
an  enterprise  of  a  tradesman,  a  shop-keeper  in  a  small 
way    in    William    Street,  a    Mr.    Pepoo;    who,   becoming 


304  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

interested  in  the  daily  recitals  of  fortunes  being  realized 
in  a  brief  period  by  purchasing  real  estate  in  Brooklyn, 
visited  the  Exchange  on  the  occasion  of  a  great  sale  of 
lots  at  Gowanus,  described  as  having  a  valuable  water- 
front. In  the  progress  of  the  sale  he  became  seized 
with  the  spirit  of  speculation,  and  successfully  bid  for 
some  lots  with  a  water-front,  paid  the  percentage  for 
deposit,  and  so  self-satisfied  was  he  with  his  action  that 
he  felt  justified  in  treating  himself  to  a  dinner  at  Del- 
monico's.  The  next  day  he  proceeded  to  visit  his  newly 
acquired  property,  and  upon  arriving  in  the  locality,  and 
describing  his  lots  on  the  auctioneer's  map,  a  boatman 
rowed  him  some  distance  from  the  shore  and  pointing 
down  one  of  his  oars  and  his  arm  also,  exultingly  said: 
''This  is  about  the  corner  of  your  lots."  Mr.  Pepoo 
returned  home  a  sadder  but  a  wiser  man. 

An  Englishman,  an  editor  of  The  Sun,  Richard  Adams 
Locke,  who  for  some  weeks  had  been  engaged  on  a  con- 
certed scheme  to  bring  the  paper  into  notoriety,  ingeni- 
ously conceived  the  recital  of  an  alleged  late  success  in 
the  construction  of  a  telescope  by  Sir  J.  F.  W.  Herschel, 
affirming  that  the  article  had  been  copied  from  a  philo- 
sophical journal  of  Edinburgh.  He  declared  that  by  the 
new  telescope  the  surface  of  the  moon  was  as  clearly 
shown  as  if  it  was  but  a  few  miles  distant;  so  near,  was  it 
stated,  that  the  existence  and  even  the  conformation  of 
inhabitants  was  shown,  and  they  were  bats,  evidently, 
from  his  description,  of  the  ordo  cheiroptera;  and  so 
graphically  was  the  whole  portrayed  that  editors  of 
many  newspapers  and  the  general  public  were  deceived. 
Clergymen  recognized  the  alleged  developments,  and 
pronounced  them  a  work  of  the  Supreme,  and  although 
many  persons  declared  that  they  did  not  credit  the 
account,  it  was  very  widely  believed;  and  some  papers 
published  the  main  features  of  Locke's  article,  asserting 
that  it  was   copied    by   them   from    the    designated  Edin- 


CORNELIUS    W.    LAWRENCE,    MAYOR  305 

burgh  journal.  A  professor  in  a  Southern  college,  on 
reading  the  description  of  the  instrument,  observed  that 
such  a  construction  was  wholly  impracticable,  and  he 
immediately  declared  the  account  a  deliberate  hoax.  It 
was  ever  after  known  as  the  "Moon  Hoax."  So  fre- 
quently does  it  occur  that  the  plots  of  many  of  the  most 
noted  criminals  and  perpetrators  of  crimes  have  been 
discovered  by  the  omission  of  some  little  factor  or  detail 
of  the  defence.  So  great  was  the  public  interest  in 
this  matter  that  an  extravaganza  was  produced  at  the 
"Bowery"  Theatre,  entitled  "Moonshine,  or  Lunar 
Discoveries." 

On  the  evening  of  the  16th  of  December,  the  great  fire, 
as  it  was  then  and  since  has  been  termed,  broke  out 
between  eight  and  nine  o'clock  at  No.  25  Merchant 
Street,  now  Hanover  Street.  The  area  covered  by  it 
was  computed  at  fifty  acres,  being  bounded  by  South 
Street,  Coenties  Slip,  Broad  and  Wall  streets,  including 
twenty  blocks  of  buildings,  the  Merchants'  Exchange, 
the  Post-office,  and  two  churches.  The  fire  spread  very 
rapidly,  and  soon  became  unmanageable.  In  the  efforts 
to  save  property,  horses  and  carts  were  purchased  at 
prices  that  seemed  fabulous,  and  forthwith  employed  in 
the  removal  of  goods.  In  many  instances  goods  that 
were  transported  to  an  apparent  place  of  safety  were 
there  burned,  and  in  some  instances  others  were  removed 
a  second  and  a  third  time.  The  thermometer  indicated 
a  temperature  of  ten  degrees  below  zero,  the  fire 
hydrants  in  most  cases  were  frozen,  and  where  they  were 
not,  the  water  from  them  froze  in  the  hose.  Moreover, 
the  water  in  the  slips  was  so  low,  from  long  prevalence 
of  a  strong  north-west  wind,  that  it  could  not  be  reached 
from  wharves  with  the  suction-pipes.  The  engines  froze 
tight  when  they  were  not  worked  constantly,  and  many 
became  inactive  from  this  cause. 

Concerning  the  removal  of  goods  :  An  intimate  friend 


306  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

of  mine,  a  partner  in  a  very  prominent  house,  came  to  me 
and  in  a  very  satisfied  manner  and  tone  of  voice  told  me 
that  he  was  safe,  the  fire  would  not  reach  him.  "Safe!  " 
I  replied.  "  Remove  your  goods  immediately,  and  don't 
stop  short  of  the  Battery."  "Do  you  think  so?"  he 
replied.  "  Yes,  and  do  you  be  quick  too. "  He  proceeded 
to  remove  his  goods  near  to  Coenties'  Slip,  at  two 
hundred  dollars  per  hour  for  carts.  Soon  after  he  again 
removed  what  was  left  of  them  to  the  Battery.  I  have 
stated  that  in  many  cases  horses  and  carts  were  bought 
for  exorbitant  sums.  Such  enterprise  was  not  manifested, 
however,  until  after  it  became  evident  that  all  policies 
for  insurance  were  of  no  value. 

The  arrest  of  the  fire  in  its  lines  of  progress  was  es- 
sayed by  blowing  up  adjoining  buildings,  but  except  in 
one  case,  near  Coenties'  Slip,  the  operation  was  a  failure. 
.In  Exchange  Street,  the  second  store  from  one  that  was 
burning  was  selected  for  destruction  ;  a  keg  of  powder 
was  put  by  me  in  the  centre  of  the  cellar,  and  a  board 
fitted  from  the  top  of  it  to  the  under  side  of  the  floor 
beams  above  ;  I  then  unrolled  a  roll  of  textile  fabric  and 
led  it  over  an  inclined  board  from  the  keg  to  the  floor 
and  out  into  the  street.  Removing  the  head  of  another 
barrel,  powder  taken  from  it  was  led  in  a  train  over  the 
fabric  to  straw  taken  from  a  champagne  basket  and 
ignited.  The  explosion  occurred,  and  the  effect  was  so 
general  upon  the  entire  building  that,  falling  down  in  a 
mass,  the  exposed  rafters,  floor,  beams,  and  woodwork 
rapidly  ignited,  and  the  effect  upon  the  adjoining  store 
was  more  destructive  than  the  fire  would  have  been  in  its 
natural  progress.  It  happened  that  the  double  ware- 
house of  Pentz  &  Co.  was  blown  up  against  the  owners' 
will,  they  thinking  the  building  to  be  fire-proof.  They 
therefore  refused  to  give  up  the  keys,  and  the  doors  were 
forced  by  the  authorities.  Pentz  &  Co.  afterward  recov- 
ered more  than  two  hundred  thousand  dollars   damages 


CORNELIUS    W.    LAWRENCE,    MAYOR  307 

from  the  city  for  the  property  thus  forcibly  taken  and 
destroyed,  though  it  would  have  been  burned  in  the 
course  of  the  conflagation  had  it  remained. 

The  fire  raged  for  two  nights,  not  ceasing  till  the  third 
day.  It  was  reported  to  have  been  seen  in  New  Haven 
and  in  Philadelphia.  On  the  second  day  a  body  of  four 
hundred  Philadelphia  firemen  came  to  relieve  their  ex- 
hausted fellow-firemen  of  New  York.  The  railway  was 
not  at  this  time  entirely  complete,  and  the  Philadel- 
phians  had  to  drag  their  engines  across  a  gap  of  six 
miles,  over  sandhills.  The  loss  was  estimated  at  fif- 
teen millions  of  dollars  ;  a  similar  destruction  at  the 
present  time  would  involve  a  loss  of  two  hundred  mil- 
lions. The  insurance  companies  were  all  (or  very  nearly 
all)  made  bankrupt.  At  a  meeting  of  citizens,  called 
by  the  Mayor  on  the  19th,  a  committee  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  was  appointed  to  pursue  various 
measures  of  relief;  in  consequence  of  which  the  Legisla- 
ture authorized  a  city  loan  of  six  millions  for  advances 
on  the  securities  held  by  insurance  companies,  in  order 
that  cash  for  payment  of  losses,  so  far  as  the  assets  would 
allow,  might  be  speedily  forthcoming.  A  great  meeting 
in  Philadelphia  passed  resolutions  calling  on  the  General 
Government  for  financial  aid  to  New  York.  Yet  such 
were  the  enterprise,  the  courage,  and  elastic  temper  of 
the  city  that,  only  in  the  next  February,  twenty  lots  in 
the  burned  district  were  sold  by  auction  for  more  than 
they  would  have  brought  before  the  fire,  when  occupied 
by  valuable  buildings.  A  statue  of  Alexander  Hamilton 
by  Ball  Hughes,  placed  in  the  Rotunda  of  the  Merchants' 
Exchange,  was  destroyed  in  the  great  fire.  Of  this  fire 
1  can  truly  add  :    Omnium  quorum  vidi  et  quorum  pars  fui. 

Soon  after  the  fire  a  meeting  of  merchants  and  insur- 
ance men  was  held,  at  which  committees  were  appointed 
to  apply  to  Congress  for  an  extension  of  the  time  of  pay- 
ment of  duties,  in  order  to  enable  the  people  to  meet  the 


308  REMINISCENCES    OF    AX    OCTOGENARIAN 

costs  of  the  regulation  of  the  streets  within  the  area 
of  the  burned  district,  the  erection  of  new  build- 
ings, etc. 

Up  to  this  time  the  Episcopal  Church  had  maintained 
but  one  diocese  in  the  entire  State,  but  shortly  afterward 
(1838)  the  diocese  of  Western  New  York  was  created,  to 
be  followed  by  further  division  at  different  dates  into  the 
present  five  dioceses  within  the  State.  This  Church  has 
enjoyed  extraordinary  growth.  In  1835  it  counted  214 
parishes,  194  clergy,  and  9738  communicants  in  the  whole 
State  ;  the  returns  of  1894  show,  within  the  same  area, 
850  parishes,  875  clergy,  and  140,000  communicants. 

December  22,  died  Dr.  David  Hosack,  perhaps  the 
foremost  physician  of  his  day,  a  man  of  varied  culture. 
He  had  an  extensive  family  connection  among  New  York 
society,  and  was  one  of  the  best  known  personages  in 
the  city  at  that  time. 

Referring  to  the  files  of  a  city  paper  of  this  and  some 
preceding  years,  to  verify  a  date,  I  noticed  that  the  list  of 
members  of  our  State  Legislature,  in  and  about  the  year 
1829,  presented  the  names  of  solid  citizens,  members  of 
a  legal  trade  or  a  profession,  having  a  stake  in  the  inter- 
ests of  the  people,  whether  in  enacting  safeguards  for  the 
protection  of  their  property,  penal  laws,  the  granting  of 
aid  to  eleemosynary  institutions,  or  authorizing  facilities 
to  meet  the  increased  demands  of  an  increasing  popula- 
tion, and  without  looking  to  any  pecuniary  remuneration 
or  "boodle,"  as  it  now  is  so  generally  and  vulgarly 
termed,  viz.  :  Representatives  in  Congress  were  Gulian 
C.  Verplanck,  Campbell  P.  White,  Elisha  W.  King, 
Churchill  C.  Cambreleng,  and  Pierre  C.  Van  Wyck  ;  and 
Aldermen  Campbell  P.  White,  Samuel  Gilford,  Richard 
S.  Williams,  Lambert  Suydam,  William  Gracie,  Evert  A. 
Bancker,  Pierre  C.  Van  Wyck,  Jonathan  I.  Coddington, 
Philip  Brasher,  Richard  L.  Schieffelin,  Egbert  Benson, 
and  many  others  of  like  stamp. 


CORNELIUS    W.    LAWRENCE,    MAYOR  309 

Neither  did  the  candidates  for  election  expend  to 
exceed  twelve  thousand  dollars  to  attain  it,  as  a  Senator 
Tauntingly  declared  in  my  presence;  who  had  withdrawn 
from  a  lucrative  trade  to  become  a  politician  of  the  type 
designated  machine,  joining  the  dominant  party  even  at 
the  reversal  of  his  fealty  to  his  faction:  neither  did  they 
bow  to  the  dicta  of  a  Tweed  or  the  counsel  of  a  Connolly — 
one  who  had  at  his  entrance  into  political  and  public  life 
deservedly  acquired  the  sobriquet  of  "Slippery  Dick," 
the  fitness  of  the  term  being  steadfastly  and  uniformly 
maintained  in  all  his  acts  and  promises;  neither  were 
there  any  among  them  who  were  the  proprietors  of 
premises  which  were  a  medley  of  brothel,  gambling 
house,  rum  and  policy  shops,  or  their  locale,  where 
"knock-out  drops"  on  fitting  occasions  were  admin- 
istered to  a  casual  patron,  or  were  known  in  the  locality 
and  designated  to  the  passer-by  by  the  inelegant  but  in- 
dicative designation  of  "The  Burned  Rag"  and  like 
appellations.  Nor  did  an  aspirant  for  a  nomination  to 
an  elective  office,  State  or  civil,  seek  for  support  among 
the  denizens  of  "  Mackerelville,"  "Hell's  Kitchen,"  or 
prefer  a  claim  for  pecuniary  credit  because  he  had  just 
been  elected  an  alderman,  and  at  a  period  when  there 
was  not  any  salary  attached  to  the  office. 

Later,  there  was  a  powerful  association,  the  location 
of  which  was  principally  in  the  lower  part  of  the  Bowery, 
and  known  as  "The  Dead  Rabbits,"  which  not  only  con- 
trolled nominations  or  defeated  candidates  for  office  and 
sent  members  to  the  Common  Council,  but  in  one  case 
a  Representative  to  Congress.  The  origin  of  the  desig- 
nation was  the  result  of  a  defiance  between  two  factions 
of  a  fraternity  of  rowdies  and  loungers,  one  of  whom,  in 
passing  the  room  where  a  number  of  the  adverse  party 
had  assembled,  threw  a  dead  rabbit  at  them  through  the 
window.      Le  vrai  n  est  pas  ton  jours  le  vraisemblable. 

In  referring  to  my  proof-sheets  I  observe  that  I   have 


3io 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


omitted  some  relations  worthy  of  record,  and  I  now  give 
them. 

When  President  Jackson  directed  the  United  States 
deposits  to  be  removed  from  the  custody  of  the  United 
States  Bank  and  its  branches  (see  p.  279),  the  measure 
was  not  only  condemned  by  his  political  opponents,  but 
it  was  derisively  represented  by  the  issue  of  a  great 
number  of  copper  tokens,  representing  the  President  as 
within  an  iron  chest,  holding  a  sword  in  one  hand  and 
a  bag  of  money  in  the  other,  and  quoting,  "I  take  the 
responsibility,"  and  on  the  obverse,  a  jackass  as  typical 
of  the  "  Roman  firmness"  he  was  credited  with,  and 
the  legend,  "The  Constitution  as  I  understand  it." 

Although  the  issue  of  these  tokens  was  not  confined  to 
this  city,  yet  as  they  were  designed  and  made  here,  and 
in  view  of  the  pivotal  political  status  of  both  the  State 
and  city,  they  were  more  generally  circulated  here  than 
elsewhere,  replacing  the  "head  and  tail  "  of  the  cent  as 
an  instrument  of  decision  by  "  Jackson  or  jackass." 

Tompkins  Street  was  opened  to  Rivington  Street  in 
1826.  Anthony  Street  extended  to  Orange  Street  in 
1832. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

1836-1837. — CORNELIUS    W.     LAWREN'CE,     1836-1837, 
AARON    CLARK,    1 837,    MAYORS 

1836.  In  this  year  the  "  burned  district,"  as  the  area  of 
the  great  fire  of  the  year  preceding  was  termed,  was  im- 
proved in  some  of  its  street  lines.  Also  Cherry,  from 
Catherine  Street  to  Franklin  Square;  Grove  Street; 
Stone,  from  William  to  Broad;  Maiden  Lane  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Nassau;  John,  from  Broadway  to  Pearl  Street; 
and  Pine,  from  Nassau  to  William  Street,  were  widened. 

The  area  bounded  by  the  Bowery,  Art  and  Eighth 
streets,  and  Lafayette  Place  was  made  a  public  place. 
The  statue  of  Samuel  S.  Cox  is  now  in  its  centre. 

Monroe  Market,  on  Grand,  Monroe,  and  Corlears 
streets,  was  constructed  to  replace  the  one  in  Grand 
Street,  which  was  held  to  be  too  much  of  an  obstruction 
to  travel,  and  was  removed. 

The  Screw  Docks,  incorrectly  so  termed,  fronting  on 
South  Street  between  Market  and  Pike  streets,  first 
located  in  1828  between  Front  and  South  streets,  were 
necessarily  removed  in  this  year  in  order  to  open  South 
Street. 

An  ordinance  was  passed  for  the  opening  of  Eleventh 
Street  from  the  Bowery  (now  known  as  Fourth  Avenue) 
to  Broadway,  but  Mr.  Brevoort,  who  owned  contiguous 
property,  delayed  and  resisted  its  operation.  In  1849  a 
second  ordinance  like  to  that  of  1836  was  passed,  and 
it  was  met  by  Mr.  Brevoort  with  equal  and  successful 
resistance. 

In  this  year  the  building  was  begun  of  the  new  Custom 
House  (now  the  Sub-Treasury). 


312  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

The  Union  Theological  Seminary  was  established,  next 
to  the  University,  at  Washington  Parade  Ground. 

This  was  a  time  of  rapid  growth  for  the  press.  For 
many  years  a  new  newspaper  appeared  almost  annually, 
The  New  York  Daily  Express  and  Daily  Advertiser,  edited 
by  James  and  Erastus  Brooks,  first  appeared  in  June  of 
this  year,  from  its  office  in  the  Tontine  Building.  The 
Herald  was  enlarged,  and  its  price  raised  to  two  cents. 
James  Gordon  Bennett,  editor  of  the  Herald,  errone- 
ously published  in  a  list  of  failures  the  name  of  John 
Haggerty,  the  leading  auctioneer  at  the  time  of  package 
goods.  Haggerty  sued  him  and  obtained  a  verdict,  after 
which  Bennett  frequently  referred  to  him  as  John  O'Hag- 
gerty,  alleging  that  he  was  of  Irish  descent.  On  January 
19,  James  Watson  Webb,  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer, 
retaliated  for  an  attack  upon  himself  published  in  the 
Herald,  by  assaulting  Bennett  in  Wall  Street,  where  he 
knocked  him  down  and  beat  him. 

In  January  the  ''Bowery"  Theatre  produced  Miss 
Medina's  drama  founded  on  Theodore  S.  Fay's  novel  of 
"Norman  Leslie,"  which  was  elaborately  furnished  by 
the  management  and  had  a  long  run.  Fay  and  myself 
were  classmates  at  Nelson's. 

In  evidence  of  the  severity  of  the  winter,  on  the  night 
of  the  great  fire  the  thermometer  indicated  io°  minus, 
and  in  the  latter  part  of  this  month  a  Long  Island  news- 
paper records  that  two  gentlemen  crossed  the  sound  on  the 
ice,  from  the  Island  to  Rye,  and  returned — a  distance  of 
fifteen  miles.  On  the  4th  of  February  both  the  North 
and  Fast  rivers  were  crossed  on  ice. 

February,  Maria  Monk,  a  nun  in  a  monastery  in  Mon- 
treal, escaped  and  published  her  experience  there,  mak- 
ing severe  charges  against  practices,  which,  being  denied 
by  Roman  Catholics  and  sustained  by  others,  involved  a 
very  severe  and  protracted  dispute,  which  was  continued 
with  so  much  virulence  and   referred  to  by  clergymen  of 


CORNELIUS    W.    LAWRENCE,    MAYOR  313 

all  sects,  that  a  mob  gathered  one  evening  for  the  purpose 
of  burning  St.  Patrick's  Church  in  Mott  Street.  The  pur- 
pose having  been  communicated  to  the  Catholics,  they 
not  only  filled  the  church  with  armed  men,  but  the  walls 
were  in  some  places  crenellated.  As  a  result  the  church 
was  too  well  protected  to  allow  a  storm,  and  the  mob 
dispersed. 

March  16.  The  rivalry  between  the  two  medical  col- 
leges, "  Barclay  "  and  "  Rutgers,"  led  to  many  disputa- 
tions among  the  members  of  the  faculty  and  students, 
and  on  this  day  a  personal  rencontre  occurred  in  the 
American  Hotel,  corner  of  Broadway  and  Barclay  Street, 
in  which  several  of  the  professors  of  the  two  colleges 
were  participants. 

March  21,  at  Cato's,  on  Boston  Road  and  Fifty-second 
Street,  two  well-known  gentlemen  met,  and  offence  being 
taken  at  the  act  of  one  of  them,  a  knock-down  occurred, 
followed  by  a  challenge  to  meet  at  Montreal;  both  parties 
forthwith  proceeded  there,  one  of  them  with  a  friend,  and 
the  other  alone,  depending  upon  an  acquaintance  there, 
who  was  absent;  and  as  the  officers  of  the  garrison  then 
had  agreed  not  to  act  as  the  friends  of  any  person  coming 
there  from  the  States,  he  was  unable  to  obtain  a  party 
to  meet  that  of  his  antagonist,  who,  after  waiting  a  day, 
returned  to  the  city,  where  the  action  of  both  parties  was 
very  freely  commented  and  dwelt  upon  by  the  friends  of 
both:  one  party  being  censured  for  leaving  without 
communication  with  the  other,  the  other  for  leaving  here 
without  a  friend;  and  on  the  2d  of  May,  the  one  who  was 
unable  to  obtain  a  friend  in  Montreal,  being  accompanied 
by  a  friend  here,  met  two  of  the  adverse  party  in  Wash- 
ington Hall,  and  a  fracas  occurred,  in  which  one  of  the 
former  party  was  slightly  wounded  with  a  sword  cane. 

May  4.  Whilst  a  very  extensive  fire  was  raging  in 
Houston  and  First  streets  it  was  communicated  to  the 
firemen  that  their  chief  engineer,  James  Gulick,  had  been 


3*4 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


removed  by  the  Board  of  Aldermen  then  in  session,  and 
JohnRyker,  Jr.,  appointed  in  his  place.  Gulick  was  very 
popular  with  the  firemen,  and  his  abrupt  removal  elicited 
such  a  feeling  of  resentment  that  a  great  majority  of 
them  turned  the  front  of  their  caps  behind,  and  arrested 
operation.  Such  condition  being  communicated  to  the 
Mayor,   he    appeared  on  the  ground,  and   succeeded    in 


VARIAN   HOUSE,  BROADWAY   AND   TWENTY-SIXTH   STREET 


controlling  the  indignation  of  the  firemen,  so  that  they 
returned  to  their  duty,  and  the  further  extension  of  the 
fire  was  stopped. 

Gulick  was  elected  Register  in  November  of  the  year  by 
a  majority  in  every  ward  in  the  city.  The  next  spring  his 
successor,  John  Ryker,  Jr.,  was  removed,  and  Cornelius 
V.  Anderson  was  appointed  in  his  place.  It  was  said 
that  nine-tenths  of  the  firemen  had  resigned  previous  to 
this,  and  perhaps  this  was  true  of  full  one-quarter  of  them, 
but  they   returned   upon   Anderson's   appointment.      The 


CORNELIUS    W.    LAWRENCE,    MAYOR  315 

manner  of  Ryker's  appointment  was  objected  to.  Ander- 
son was  a  singularly  good  chief,  and  much  improved  the 
apparatus  of  the  Department,  which  the  authorities  had 
been  slow  to  do.  In  his  day,  buildings  were  said  to  be 
"running  up  to  the  height  of  four  and  five  stories"  in 
Xew  York. 

May  23,  Webb  of  the  Xew  York  Enquirer  published  an 
article  charging  Wood,  the  actor,  with  offensive  actions 
toward  a  favorite  actress,  whereupon  the  audience  on  the 
evening  of  the  day  of  the  publication  hissed  Wood,  who 
advanced  to  the  footlights  and  denied  that  there  was  any 
just  foundation  for  the  charge ;  his  denial  was  accepted  so 
far  as  to  arrest  any  further  demonstration.  On  the  follow- 
ing morning  Webb,  in  his  peculiar  and  persistent  man- 
ner, republished  the  charge.  Wood  challenged  him,  the 
audience  renewed  their  hissing  in  the  evening,  and  Webb 
the  morning  after,  the  28th,  addressed  an  article  to  the 
public,  calling  upon  it  to  assemble  at  the  theatre  and 
drive  Wood  off  the  stage.  Such  a  call  was  sure  to  be 
responded  to,  in  attracting  great  numbers  to  the  theatre, 
which  it  did,  and  as  a  result  Mr.  Simpson  was  compelled 
to  come  forward  and  announce  the  withdrawal  of  the 
Woods  and  the  annulment  of  their  engagement.  I 
was  present  the  first  night,  but  avoided  the  second 
and  last,  having  been  present  at  the  Anderson  riot 
in  1831. 

May  30.  The  Astor  House,  on  Broadway  between 
Vesey  and  Barclay  streets,  was  opened  in  this  year  by 
Boyden  of  the  Tremont,  Boston,  and  deeded  by  John 
Jacob  Astor  to  his  son  William  B.  for  one  dollar,  and  was 
the  wonder  of  the  time.  The  interior  of  the  quadrangle, 
now  containing  the  bar,  lunch-counters,  etc.,  was  then  a 
garden,  affording  a  pleasant  view  from  the  windows  of 
the  inner  rooms.  Flower  beds  extended  along  the  sides, 
next  to  the  building,  inclosing  an  expanse  of  turf  with 
walks,  and  a  pretty  fountain  in  the  centre.      The  smoking- 


316  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

room  of  the  hotel  commanded  this  view  from  the  east. 
These  conditions  remained  unchanged  for  many  years. 

It  was  in  this  year  that  the  dicta  of  trades-unions  came 
into  such  conflict  with  the  rights  of  individuals  that  the 
criminal  law  was  referred  to  and  exercised  in  their  behalf. 

A  number  of  Union  journeymen  tailors  stood  out — 
"struck"  is  the  word  of  a  later  day — for  an  increase  of 
pay,  and  assaulted  some  non-union  men  who  preferred  to 
work  at  the  pay  they  were  receiving  rather  than  to  try 
to  increase  it  by  refusing  to  work  at  all.  The  assailants 
were  arrested  and  convicted,  when  a  diabolical  and  in- 
flammatory hand-bill  was  posted  in  which  freemen  were 
called  upon  to  go  to  the  Park  and  witness  the  sentencing 
of  their  fellows  to  servitude;  but,  notwithstanding  this, 
Judge  Edwards  sentenced  them. 

The  Board  of  Aldermen  were  summarily  convened,  and 
adopted  an  ordinance  authorizing  the  Mayor  to  offer  a 
reward  for  the  discoverer  of  the  printer,  author,  or  poster 
of  the  bills. 

Following  this  the  men  employed  in  the  loading  and 
unloading  of  vessels — stevedores  and  laborers — decided 
to  demand  an  increase  of  pay,  which  being  denied,  they 
proceeded  to  prevent  those  from  working  who  were 
willing  to  continue  for  the  existing  wages.  So  formi- 
dable was  the  number  of  "  strikers  "  as  they  were  termed, 
that  some  captains  of  vessels  in  progress  of  being  dis- 
charged or  loaded  armed  their  crews  to  defend  their 
work.  Whereupon  Jacob  Hays,  the  High  Constable,  pro- 
ceeded to  where  the  strikers  had  assembled  and  addressed 
them  literally  as  follows: 

"Gentlemen  and  Blackguards— go  home  or  go  along 
with  me.  Taint  no  way  this  to  raise  wages.  If  your 
employers  won't  give  you  your  price,  don't  work;  keep 
home  and  lay  quiet — make  no  riots  here,  I  don't  allow 
them  things.  Come,  march  home  with  you;  your  wives 
and  children  want  you — no  way  this  to  raise  wages." 


CORNELIUS    W.    LAWRENCE,    MAYOR  317 

The  stand  taken  by  the  stevedores  was  followed  by 
that  of  the  laborers  at  work  upon  the  ruins  of  the  late 
fire  in  the  removal  of  bricks,  etc.,  and  so  formidable  was 
their  attack  upon  those  who  were  willing  to  work  that  it 
became  necessary  to  resort  to  military  power  to  control 
them. 

During  this  year  the  up-town  movement  made  great 
advances,  the  dwellings  below  Chambers  Street  command- 
ing so  high  prices  for  purposes  of  constantly  expanding 
business  that  the  occupants  could  scarce  afford  to  retain 
them  for  domestic  use.  Thereupon,  up-town  property 
increased  greatly  in  selling  value,  and  rents  rose  enor- 
mously; in  fact  this  was  a  period  of  high  prices  for  every 
thing,  with  all  the  marks  of  a  speculative  era. 

Miss  Harriet  Martineau  visited  Xew  York  in  April  and 
was  well  received,  attracting  the  attention  which,  among 
us  in  those  simpler  days,  was  the  sure  perquisite  of  any 
European  author  of  tolerable  reputation. 

Up  to  this  time,  and  tor  many  years  afterward,  or 
until  the  number  of  social  clubs  had  much  increased,  the 
side  rooms  of  our  principal  hotels  were  essentially  club- 
rooms  for  many  persons.  Numbers  of  bachelors  and 
young  men  were  in  the  habit  of  resorting  to  each  hotel, 
confident  of  making  there  a  social,  and  even  a  convivial 
party.  The  City  Hotel  and  Washington  Hall  had  each 
a  set  of  evening  visitors,  as  well  defined  and  almost  as 
exclusive  as  if  they  were  members  of  a  club.  Colonel 
Nicholas  (Nick)  Saltus,  at  the  City  Hotel,  assumed  and 
was  conceded  the  prerogatives  of  the  presiding  officer  of 
a  club.  But  on  June  17  of  this  year  was  founded  the 
Union  Club,  earliest  of  all  in  New  York,  using  the  word 
in  its  modern  sense.  The  meeting  for  its  organization 
was  attended  by  many  of  the  most  eminent  citizens. 
June  1  of  the  following  year  the  club-house,  then  at 
343  Broadway,  was  first  opened  to  members.  In  the 
spring  of  1842,  the  growing  need  of  larger  accommoda- 


3'S 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


-- 


HOUSE   OF   NICHOLAS    WILLIAM    STUYVESANT,    THIRTEENTH    AND 
SIXTEENTH    STREETS    AND    AVENUES    FIRST    AND    A. 

tions  compelled  the  first  of  the  club's  northward  jour- 
neys, and  it  removed  to  376  Broadway.  In  the  autumn 
of  1850  it  yielded  further  to  the  up-town  tendency,  and 
settled  itself  at  691  Broadway,  remaining  there  until  the 
occupancy  of  its  present  house  at  Fifth  Avenue  and 
Twenty-first  Street,  in  1854. 

February  18,  the  Methodist  Book  Concern,  occupying 
a  five-story  building  on  Mulberry  Street  in  which  two 
hundred  persons  were  employed,  was  burned.  The 
weather  was  extremely  cold  and  the  hydrants  were 
frozen,  so  that  the  destruction  was  complete.  Some  of 
the  burned  books,  carried  by  the  wind  from  this  fire,  were 
found  in  adjacent  parts  of  Long  Island,  and  among  them, 
it  was  said,  a  charred   leaf  of  a  Bible   on  which   the  only 


CORNELIUS    W.    LAWRENCE,    MAYOR  319 

words  legible  were  the  verse,  Isaiah  lxiv.  n  :  "  Our  holy 
and  our  beautiful  house,  where  our  fathers  praised  thee, 
is  burned  up  with  fire;  and  all  our  pleasant  things  are 
laid  waste."  I  think  it  was  in  the  spring  of  this  year 
that  the  beautiful  Mrs.  Shaw  first  appeared  in  America, 
at  the  Park  Theatre.  She  had  many  charms  and  was 
greatly  popular.  In  1839  she  joined  the  ''Bowery"  com- 
pany which,  though  a  successful  engagement,  did  not 
tend  to  increase  her  artistic  reputation,  and  as  her 
attractions  declined  she  lost  in  some  degree  her  hold  on 
public  favor.  She  married  Hamblin,  the  "  Bowery  " 
manager,   in   1849. 

The  Richmond  Hill  Theatre  was  opened  in  mid-June 
by  Mrs.  Hamblin,  well  supported  for  a  time.  Here 
appeared  Caroline  Fox,  at  seven  years,  afterward  Mrs. 
G.  C.  Howard,  the  famous  Topsy. 

April  11,  Helen  Jewett,  a  boarder  in  a  house  in  Thomas 
Street  kept  by  Rosina  Townsend,  was  murdered;  the 
bed-clothes  being  ignited  with  a  view  to  conceal  the 
murder  by  the  destruction  of  the  body.  A  young  man, 
Richard  P.  Robinson,  who  was  at  the  time  a  clerk  with 
Joseph  Hoxie,  was  arrested,  charged  with  the  crime, 
tried,  and  although  the  evidence  against  him  was  so  con- 
vincing that  scarcely  a  doubt  of  his  guilt  was  enter- 
tained, yet,  in  consequence  of  a  man  at  the  close  of  the 
trial  being  found  who  swore  to  meeting  Robinson  at  the 
time  that  the  murder  was  committed,  the  accused  was 
acquitted.  It  was  charged  and  credited  that  a  juror  had 
been  bribed  so  as  to  secure  a  disagreement.  I  knew  the 
man  who  swore  to  the  alibi,  and  knew  him  to  be  unworthy 
of  credence,  not  from  venality  or  other  influence,  but 
from  mental  weakness.  This  was  a  very  celebrated  case, 
and  will  be  remembered  by  every  New  Yorker  who  was 
at  that  time  capable  of  observation  and  memory  of 
events.  Ogden  Hoffman,  who  defended  Robinson, 
delivered  an  address  to  the  jury  that  for  eloquence  was 


320  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

equal  to  any  like  essay;  his  delivery  of  "That  poor 
boy!  "  by  those  who  witnessed  it  will  never  be  forgotten. 

It  was  currently  charged  soon  after,  and  even  pub- 
lished later,  that  a  person  who  had  lately  embarked  in  an 
enterprise  requiring  money  to  advance  it,  became  aware 
of  the  fact  that  a  well-known  citizen  of  wealth  and  posi- 
tion was  in  the  house  at  the  time  of  the  murder;  and  that 
from  time  to  time  he  levied  blackmail  upon  him  to  the 
amount  of  thirty  thousand  dollars. 

June  23,  the  first  trip  from  New  York  to  Albany  by 
a  vessel  using  anthracite  coal  was  made  by  the  Novelty, 
in  twelve  hours.  She  bore  a  considerable  company  of 
gentlemen  interested  in  the  experiment,  among  them  the 
managers  of  the  Delaware  c\:  Hudson  Company,  the 
Collector  of  the  Port,  and  Dr.  Eliphalet  Nott,  whose 
invention  it  was  that  was  in  course  of  trial  and  proved 
completely  successful. 

September  14,  Aaron  Burr  died.  It  was  charged  and 
entertained  that,  prior  to  his  challenge  to  Alexander 
Hamilton,  he  daily  practised  with  a  pistol  at  his  residence 
in  the  Richmond  Hill  house. 

December  9,  Miss  Ellen  Tree  made  her  first  appear- 
ance at  the  Park  Theatre  as  Rosalind  in  "As  You  Like 
It,"  achieving  a  prodigious  success,  well  deserved  by  this 
charming  actress.  She  was  a  greater  favorite  than  any 
woman  ever  seen  on  the  Park  stage,  save  Fanny  Kemble. 
She  remained  for  two  years  in  this  country;  in  1842  she 
married  Charles  Kean,  and  in   1845  they  were  both  here. 

Fernando  Wood  left  the  employ  of  Mr.  Secor,  then 
Fras.  Secor  &  Co.,  and  opened  a  three-cent  liquor  store 
at  the  corner  of  Rector  and  "Washington  streets.  The 
Secors,  Peter  Seeley  (a  stevedore),  and  some  other  em- 
ployers of  laborers,  were  in  the  habit  of  paying  their  men 
off  in  Wood's  store,  and  in  connection  with  this  it  is  not 
amiss  to  note  that  the  custom  of  employers  on  the  river 
fronts  paying  their  men  in  a  grocery  store  was  of  general 


CORNELIUS    W.    LAWRENCE,    MAYOR  32 1 

practice.  It  was  charged  against  Wood,  and  never 
responded  to,  that  when  a  man  presented  himself  to 
receive  his  wages,  he  was  surprised  at  being  told  that 
there  was  such  and  such  an  account  charged  to  him  for 
drinks.  There  was  no  appeal.  It  was  a  standing  charge 
of  the  enemies  of  Wood,  and  he  had  many,  that  on  one 
occasion  Joseph  Bunce,  a  man  who  had  suffered  by  this 
one-sided  way  of  keeping  accounts,  resolutely  refrained 
from  drink  at  Wood's  bar  for  the  entire  week.  When 
pay-night  came  and  he  presented  himself,  he  was  given 
the  amount  of  his  wages  less  seventy-five  cents,  deducted 
for  drinks  which  were  charged  to  him.  There  were 
many  other  and  exceptionally  severe  charges  made 
against  Wood,  but  being  ignorant  as  to  their  authenticity, 
I  omit  reference  to  them  here. 

Thomas  E.  Davis  purchased  vacant  lots  in  St.  Mark's 
Place  and  vicinity,  essaying  to  make  it  a  fashionable 
quarter  of  the  city,  and  at  one  time  it  appeared  that  he 
had  succeeded.  He  then  originated  and  with  the  aid 
of  I.  L.  and  S.  Josephs,  Geo.  Griffin,  and  others,  formed 
an  association  for  the  purchase  and  improvement  of  the 
northeast  end  of  Staten  Island,  at  the  junction  of  the 
Bay  and  the  Kills,  obtained  a  loan  of  four  hundred  and 
seventy  thousand  dollars  from  a  bank,  and  termed  the 
locality  New  Brighton.  A  large  hotel  and  houses  were 
built,  but  the  association  came  to  grief,  and  the  property 
was  sold  out  under  a  decree  of  foreclosure,  and  bought  in 
by  Mr.  Davis  for  two  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

Two  notables  of  this  period  merit  mention,  the  "gin- 
gerbread man"  and  the  "limekiln  man,"  both  famous  in 
Xew  York.  The  former  was  an  erratic  of  a  very  pro- 
nounced type,  or  a  mild  lunatic;  clerically,  though  shab- 
bily dressed;  who  promenaded  Broadway  at  a  rapid  gait, 
and  apparently  took  his  entire  nourishment  at  a  street 
pump,  eating  gingerbread  and  washing  it  down  with  water 
from  the  spout  of  the  pump.  He  kept  his  supply  of  the 
11 


322  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

bread  in  a  coat  pocket.  The  latter  was  another  mental 
derelict  of  the  human  species,  evidently  a  foreigner,  who 
received  his  sobriquet  ixom.  the  circumstance  of  his  usually 
sleeping  in  or  upon  a  limekiln  in  East  Fourteenth  Street, 
and  although  his  raiment  and  mien  indicated  extreme 
poverty,  he  wTas  not  known  ever  to  have  solicited  alms. 
One  morning  his  dead  body  was  discovered  on  a  lime- 
kiln. 

Such  was  the  enterprise  of  New  York  that  it  was 
observed  this  year,  on  the  anniversary  of  the  great  fire 
of  1835,  that  the  whole  burned  district  had  been  rebuilt 
in  handsomer  style  than  before. 

Chas.  H.  Marshall  bought  of  Goodhue  &  Co.  their 
interest  in  the  Black  Ball  Line,  and  added  new  vessels 
of  increased  tonnage.  Soon  after,  the  Swallow  Tail  Line 
of  Thaddeus  Phelps  &  Co.,  and  the  Dramatic  Line  of 
E.  K.  Collins  &  Co.,  were  organized  and  entered  for  the 
Liverpool   trade. 

In  this  year  the  New  York  Society  Library  sold  its 
building  in  Nassau,  between  Cedar  and  Liberty  streets, 
and  removed  temporarily  to  Chambers  Street. 

The  house,  corner  of  Church  and  Leonard  streets,  was 
leased  to  Thomas  Flynn,  an  English  comedian,  who  for 
ten  years  had  been  engaged  here  as  actor  or  manager. 
He  opened  the  house  (thereafter  known  as  the  National 
Theatre)  for  a  fall  season,  with  William  Mitchell,  who 
now  first  appeared  in  New  York,  afterward  to  become 
famous,  especially  at  his  own  Olympic  Theatre,  where  the 
excellence  of  his  burlesques  and  travesties  brought  him 
for  a  considerable  time  to  the  height  of  prosperity. 
Later,  Mitchell  failed  somewhat,  and  he  retired  in  1850. 
He  died  a  few  years  after  this  date,  in  poverty,  though  he 
had  made  much  money.  In  October  "  La  Bayadere  "  was 
produced  under  Flynn's  management  with  Mine.  Celeste, 
and  had  immense  success. 

Many  events  of  interest  in  the  theatrical  world  occurred 


CORNELIUS    W.   LAWRENCE,    MAYOR  323 

during  this  autumn,  not  least  of  which  was  Charlotte 
Cushman's  first  appearance  in  New  York  at  the  "Bow- 
ery" Theatre,  as  Lady  Macbeth.  Miss  Cushman  had 
proposed  to  be  a  public  singer.  She  appeared  first  in 
concert,  at  the  age  of  fifteen.  Happening  to  sing  with 
the  Woods,  they  suggested  that  she  should  attempt  the 
lyric  stage,  but  after  studying  and  essaying,  her  voice 
failed,  and  she  abandoned   the  attempt. 

September  26,  the  "Bowery"  Theatre  was  burned 
again;  the  fire  arising,  as  was  supposed,  from  burning 
wadding  discharged  among  the  scenery  in  progress  of 
the  play,  "  Lafitte,  the  Pirate  of  the  Gulf,"  then  just 
beginning  a  promising  run.  It  was  said  that  Hamblin, 
the  manager,  lost  sixty  thousand  dollars  by  this  fire. 

Philip  Hone  recites  that  in  this  year  he  sold  his  house, 
235  Broadway,  lot  37  X  120  feet  (next  to  the  corner  of 
Park  Place),  for  sixty  thousand  dollars,  having  bought  it 
fifteen  years  before  (1821)  for  twenty-five  thousand  dol- 
lars. This  is  now  given  as  an  index  to  the  variation  of 
prices  in  real  estate  on  Broadway.  The  house  was  a 
three-story  high  stoop  brick,  with  slant  roof  and  dormer 
windows  front  and  rear;  a  perfect  type  of  a  first-class 
house  of  the  period,  internally  arranged  as  follows: 
Vault  under  sidewalk  for  fuel  and  cool  storage;  base- 
ment floor,  front  room,  closets  and  kitchen  without 
cellar;  first  floor,  hall  store,  front  and  back  parlors  with 
closets  and  sliding  doors  between,  stairway  thrown  well 
back  and  lighted  by  a  rear  window,  doors  of  mahogany; 
second  floor,  essentially  the  counterpart  of  the  first, 
doors  of  white  pine;  third  floor,  front,  middle,  and  rear 
bedrooms,  with  one  in  hall;  garret,  two  or  three  servants' 
rooms  and  a  storeroom.  A  cistern  in  the  yard  to  receive 
rain  water  from  the  roof,  which  was  drawn  out  by  a 
bucket  and  pole.  Total  absence  of  water-closets,  bath- 
room, a  vestibule  door,  and  furnaces.  In  1819  a  relation 
of  mine  was  offered  this   house  for  thirty   thousand  dol- 


324  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

lars;  it  was  then  occupied  by  Jotham  Smith,  not  Jona- 
than, as  given  by  Hone. 

Some  time  previous  to  this  a  Mr.  Benjamin  Brandreth 
advertised  very  extensively  his  "  Brandreth's  Pills,"  and 
this  was  the  first  exhibition  or  demonstration  of  a  kind 
of  advertising  that  has  become  general.  It  was  so  novel 
to  the  public  that  he  and  his  nostrum  became  notorious. 
"  Brandreth's  Pills "  became  a  byword.  Later  a  man 
was  charged  with  selling  these  pills  under  a  counterfeit 
label,  and  the  interest  involved  was  held  of  such  impor- 
tance that  Charles  O'Conor  and  Major-general  Sandford 
were  employed  to  plead  for  an  injunction.  In  support 
of  the  alleged  value  of  the  proprietary  right  of  these 
pills,  it  was  claimed  that  they  were  effective  in  fully  fifty 
diseases. 

1837,  Orange  (now  Baxter)  Street  was  extended  from 
Grand  to  Broome  Street.  Fourth  Avenue  was  widened 
forty  feet  to  accommodate  the  tunnel  for  the  Harlem 
Railroad,  and  to  give  air  openings  to  it  in  the  middle  of 
the  avenue. 

There  was  at  this  period  one  Chief  of  Police,  Jacob 
Hays,  at  a  salary  of  five  hundred  dollars  per  annum, 
with  twenty  officers.  Ogden  Hoffman,  when  District 
Attorney,  related  that  on  occasion  of  an  extensive  rob- 
bery of  money,  Mr.  Hays,  who  justly  enjoyed  the  reputa- 
tion of  keen  observation  and  exceptional  shrewdness, 
while  engaged  in  seeking  the  perpetrators,  entered  the 
reading-room  of  the  Northern  Hotel,  corner  of  Washing- 
ton Street  and  Battery  Place,  and  noticed  among  the 
occupants  one  who  was  reading  a  newspaper,  but  from 
the  moment  Hays  entered,  he  did  not  remove  his  eyes 
from  one  part  of  it;  from  which  Hays  inferred  that  the 
man  knew  him,  and  was  too  much  embarrassed  at  his 
presence  to  read.  Whereupon  he  arrested  him,  and  he 
proved  to  be  the  person  sought  for. 

January    2.      The    kt  Bowery"   Theatre,    rebuilt   upon    a 


AARON  CLARK,  MAYOR 


325 


lease  of  the  ground  from  Hamblin,  was  opened  shortly 
after  this.  "  Sandie "  Welsh,  of  the  "Washington 
Lunch  "  (before  mentioned),  appeared  here  for  the  first 
and  last  time,  it  was  said,  on  a  wager,  with  an  oration 
in  Low  Dutch  (the  vernacular  of  Northern  New  Jersey), 
in  the  character  of  the  Flying  Dutchman. 

The  year  opened  with  unfavorable  business  conditions, 
money  being  very  scarce  and  tight.  High  prices  for  the 
necessaries  of  life  prevailed;  flour  was  §12  to  $15  per 
barrel,  and  wheat  imported  from  abroad  $2.25  per  bushel. 
What  the  prices  of  meats  were  I  do  not  now  recollect; 
but  I  well  remember  that  upon  inquiring  the  price  of  a 
head  of  cabbage,  I  was  told  two  and  six  pence  (31.25 
cents).  A  public  meeting  was  held  to  devise  some 
remedy  for  the  distressful  cost  of  living,  but  the  effect  of 
natural  laws  remained  unchanged  by  this  device.  On 
February  10,  a  meeting  of  workmen  and   laborers  out  of 


:4^; 


JACOB   HARSEN'S   HOUSE,  TENTH    WKXLK   AND   SEVENTIETH   STREET 


326  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

work  convened  in  the  City  Hall  Park,  and  as  it  was 
asserted  that  provision-dealers  were  holding  back  supplies 
for  higher  prices,  and  it  was  publicly  known  that  Eli 
Hart  &  Co.,  175  Washington  Street,  had  in  their  posses- 
sion large  quantities  of  both  wheat  and  flour,  the  fact 
was  so  deprecatingly  referred  to  by  the  speakers  that  the 
passions  of  the  crowd  became  aroused,  and  at  the  close 
of  the  meeting  it  proceeded  to  the  store  of  the  Messrs. 
Hart,  broke  open  the  doors,  which  had  been  closed,  and 
threw  wheat  and  rolled  flour  out  of  the  doors  and  win- 
dows. Later  in  the  day  the  crowd  \vras  dispersed  by  the 
police.  After  this,  they  proceeded  to  the  store  of  S.  H. 
Herrick  &  Co.,  5  Coenties  Slip,  where  they  in  like  man- 
ner broke  in  and  commenced  destruction,  with  a  view  to 
produce  abundance,  but  were  driven  out  by  the  police. 
This  was  known  as  the  Flour  Riot. 

March  15,  Daniel  Webster  made  what  might  be  called 
a  State  visit  to  New  York.  Throngs  greeted  his  arrival 
at  the  Battery  and  accompanied  him  to  his  hotel. 
A  great  meeting  gathered  to  hear  his  oration  at  Niblo's 
Saloon  in  the  evening,  and  Mr.  Webster  held  a  reception 
the  next  day  in  the  Governor's  room  in  the  City  Hall. 

A  famous  dinner  was  given  on  March  30,  at  the  City 
Hotel,  by  booksellers  to  authors  and  other  persons  of 
fame. 

In  this  year  August  Belmont  arrived  here  as  the  agent 
of  the  Messrs.  Rothschilds  and  established  a  banking 
house  here  ;  he  filling  the  vacancy  consequent  upon  the 
failure  of  the  Messrs.  L.  and  S.  Josephs. 

Meantime  the  business  outlook  was  growing  more  and 
more  dark.  Failures  were  multiplying.  On  March  28,  a 
meeting  of  merchants  invoked  the  support  of  the  United 
States  Bank  of  Philadelphia.  On  April  26,  a  similar 
meeting,  "  to  devise  suitable  measures  of  relief,"  was  held 
at  Masonic  Hall,  which  appointed  a  committee  to  visit 
Washington  and  secure  action  by  the  Government.     The 


AARON  CLARK,  MAYOR  327 

panic  and  consequent  financial  distress  that  prevailed 
bore  upon  our  savings  banks,  as  evidenced  in  the  circum- 
stance that  the  Greenwich  and  Bowery  banks  were  so 
drawn  upon  that  they  were  compelled  to  dispose  of 
some  of  their  invested  securities  at  a  loss,  and  in  ad- 
dition to  appeal  to  the  Bank  for  Savings  (later  the 
Bleecker  Street)  for  assistance,  which  in  its  own  defence 
it  was  compelled  to  give,  to  protect  itself  from  a  run  in 
the  event  of  the  others  closing  their  doors.  Runs  on  the 
savings  banks  began;  failures  increased  beyond  count  ; 
on  May  8,  the  Dry  Dock  Bank,  and  on  the  ioth  all  the 
New  York  banks,  suspended  specie  payments.  At  this 
time  these  banks  numbered  twenty-three,  having  twenty 
millions  of  capital.  The  suspension,  in  which  all  the 
banks  of  the  country  followed,  was  a  relief  from  the  long- 
continued  stringency  and  strain  of  affairs.  Under  the 
new  conditions,  however,  great  shrinkage  in  the  value  of 
New  York  real  estate  had  occurred  ;  sales  of  "specula- 
tive" lots  being  made  in  April  at  scarce  more  than  one- 
fifth  of  their  cost  in  the  preceding  September. 

This  very  general  and  prolonged  depression  in  finance, 
commerce,  manufactures,  and  trade,  originated  as  far 
back  as  1832  in  the  closing  of  the  United  States  Bank  in 
Philadelphia  and  its  branches  throughout  the  Union,  and 
the  transfer  of  the  Government  deposits  to  State  banks, 
while  the  increase  and  extension  of  our  population  required 
additional  banks  as  well  as  the  filling  of  the  voids  caused 
by  the  withdrawal  of  the  United  States  Bank  and  its 
branches.  In  consequence  of  this,  a  great  number  of 
small  banks  with  smaller  capital  were  chartered,  and 
even  in  remote  places  ;  which,  from  the  insufficiency  of 
their  capital  and  the  amount  of  notes  they  put  in  circu- 
lation at  points  distant  from  their  location,  were  termed 
and  known  as  "wild  cats."  Such  a  system  of  finance 
involved  the  inevitable  consequence,  and  in  the  interval 
from    1832    to    this  year  the  result  of    the    system    was 


328  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

developed,  and  a  general  crash  in  trade,  credit,  securi- 
ties, real  estate,  and  manufactures  ensued. 

June  12,  Louis  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  who  had  spent 
some  time  in  New  York,  sailed  for  Europe  in  conse- 
quence of  the  (ultimately  fatal)  illness  of  his  mother. 

July  31,  Dominick  Lynch  died  abroad,  a  man  much 
given  to  the  arts  and  refinements  of  life,  and  long  a 
general  favorite  in  New  York  society. 

Late  in  August  the  Broadway  Theatre  on  the  east  side 
of  Broadway,  near  Walker  Street,  was  opened — the  build- 
ing formerly  known  as  the  Euterpean  Hall,  and  the 
Apollo  Saloon.      The  enterprise  was  soon  abandoned. 

September  13,  another  new  theatre  was  added,  which 
was  destined  ultimately  to  success,  though  at  first  it  was 
unfortunate.  This  was  the  well-remembered  Olympic, 
at  444  Broadway,  built  originally  for  W.  R.  Blake  and 
Henry  E.  Willard,  and  first  opened  under  their  control. 
This  was  a  " drawing-room  "  theatre,  in  the  best  taste; 
presenting  light  and  sparkling  plays  accordingly,  with  a 
company  which  counted  the  Blakes,  G.  Barrett,  Mrs. 
Maeder,  etc. ;  yet,  with  every  apparent  element  of  suc- 
cess, the  house  was  "ahead  of  the  times,"  and  in  October 
the  prices  were  reduced  to  fifty  cents  for  the  boxes  and 
twenty-five  cents  for  the  pit.  Shortly  after  this  Blake 
abandoned  the  enterprise. 

September  4,  Wallack  opened  the  National  Theatre 
(formerly  the  Italian  Opera  House)  with  "The  Rivals," 
in  which  a  strong  stock  company  appeared,  Wallack  play- 
ing Captain  Absolute.  Henry  Wallack  was  stage  manager. 
It  was  noted  in  the  newspapers  that,  for  the  first  time  in 
New  York  history,  eight  theatres  were  open  simultane- 
ously. The  consecutive  performance  of  pieces  at  that 
time  and  for  many  years  was  rarely  attained,  the  popula- 
tion of  the  city  and  the  presence  of  strangers  not  being 
equal   to  the-  occasion. 

James   W.   Wallack    was  again   at  the    Park   Theatre  in 


AAROX    CLARK,    MAYOR 


29 


the  years  1832  and  1834,  and  in  this  year  he  was  manager 
of  the  National  Theatre  at  Church  and  Leonard  streets, 
which  was  burned  in  1839.  He  appeared  at  the  Park 
Theatre  in  1843-44.  In  1852  he  assumed  the  management 
of  Brougham's  Lyceum  in  Broadway  (the  old  Wallack's 
Theatre)  and  at  this  house  ended  his  career  as  actor.  He 
removed  to  the  "  new  Wallack's  "  (now  the  Star  Theatre) 


THE   FIRST  STEAM   LAUNCH 
DESIGNED   AND  CONSTRUCTED  AT  U.   S.   NAVY  YARD,   NEW   YORK 

Length  35  feet,  beam  4.23  feet,  and  depth  3  feet.    Engine  4x12  inches. 

Wheels  3.3  feet 

Boiler,  horizontal  fire  tubular.    Scale  120th  part 


in  the  autumn  of  1861,  and  there  made  his  last  appear- 
ance before  the  curtain  with  a  speech  of  thanks  at  the 
close  of  the  season  of  1862.  He  died  on  Christmas  Day, 
1864. 

The  election  of  this  year  resulted  in  a  Whig  triumph 
in  New  York,  and  a  great  jubilee  occurred  on  November 
22.  November  29,  one  of  the  greatest  of  political  din- 
ners was  given  at  the  Astor  House  to  John  Bell  of 
Tennessee,  at  which  Daniel  Webster  made  a  speech, 
beginning  at  two   in  the  morning. 

The  first  steam-launch  was  designed  by  and  constructed 
under  the  direction  of  the  writer  in  this  year,  at  the 
New  York  Navy  Yard,  and  named  the  Sweetheart.  On 
her  trial  trip  and  several  succeeding,  she  was  hailed  and 
saluted  by  the  bells  of  passing  steamboats,  and  by  cheers 
from  people  who  rushed  to  the  ends  of  the  piers  to 
witness  the  novel  sight.    She  attained  a  speed  at  the  rate 


330  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

of  8.5  miles  per  hour.  The  engine  was  subsequently 
transferred  to  the  first  U.  S.  Naval  School,  then  at 
Philadelphia. 

November  27,  a  meeting  of  delegates  from  banks  of 
several  States,  called  to  discuss  the  question  of  bank 
resumption,  began  its  sessions.  It  was  largely  attended, 
and  on  November  30  resolved  to  resume  on  July  1,  1838, 
or  earlier.  December  2,  the  convention  adjourned  to 
April,  1838;  then  to  take  further  and  decisive  action. 

The  nucleus  of  the  now  immense  railroad  and  steam- 
boat and  steamer  expresses  appeared  in  the  enterprise 
of  William  F.  Harnden,  who  under  the  suggestion,  as- 
sistance, and  auspices  of  James  W.  Hale,  this  year 
commenced  the  personal  bearing  of  parcels  and 
executing  commissions  between  this  city  and  Boston, 
and  from  this  modest  enterprise  arose  the  Harnden 
Express  ;  to  be  followed  by  the  American,  Adams, 
United  States,  etc. 

It  was  in  this  year  that  Consul  Gliddon  came  here  from 
Egypt,  wearing  a  moustache,  when  the  practice  was  first 
looked  upon  with  any  favor,  and  then  only  by  a  few.  A 
gentleman  from  whom  Mr.  Gliddon  procured  some 
machinery  for  the  Pacha  of  Egypt  remarked  to  me, 
"What  a  fine  fellow  he  is!  but  what  a  pity  he  should 
wear  a  moustache!  " 

E.  E.  Morgan  &  Son's  Line  to  Liverpool,  which 
they  had  established  about  1823,  was  increased  to 
twelve  ships,  one  of  which,  the  Philadelphia,  built  by 
Christian  Bergh  in  1832,  was  described  by  the  Commercial 
Advertiser  as  having  a  piano  on  board  and  a  physician. 

It  was  about  this  period  that  the  German  families  had 
so  increased  in  number  that  their  custom  of  dressing  a 
"Christmas  Tree"  was  observed.  So  novel  was  the 
exhibition  that  it  evoked  much  comment.  I  have  a  vivid 
remembrance  of  my  going  over  to  Brooklyn  of  a  very 
stormy  and  wet  night  to  witness  the  novelty. 


3Sl 

The  New  York  Historical  Society  was  this  year 
removed  from  Remsen's  Building,  in  Broadway,  to  the 
Stuyvesant  Institute. 

From  this  time  the  Park  Theatre  began  to  lose  its 
supremacy,  and  never  regained  it.  The  younger  public 
fancied  new  scenes  and  methods,  and  indeed  those  who 
now  remember  that  time  may  be  pardoned  for  thinking 
that  Wallack  had  then  the  best  stock  company  ever 
gathered    in   this   city. 

September  n.  The  elder  Vanderhoff  appeared  for  the 
first  time  under  Wallack's  management,  and  continued 
playing  tragedy  against  Forrest  at  the  Park.  Vander- 
hoff was  counted  second  only  to  Macready,  in  the  digni- 
fied, grand,  heroic  style  of  acting;  he  retired  from  the 
stage  in  1859  and  died  in  1861. 

Charlotte  Cushman  in  the  fall  of  this  year  was  leading 
lady  at  the  Park.  Miss  Cushman's  later  history,  and  the 
well-won  admiration  and  respect  she  ever  enjoyed,  need 
not  be  recounted  here. 

Mme.  Caradori  Allan  appeared  at  the  Park  during 
this  season  in  English  opera,  or  opera  in  English. 
Her  first  appearance  was  as  Rosina  and  was  a  great 
triumph. 

In  October  the  Fourth  Avenue  railway  tunnel  above 
Thirty-second  Street  was  opened  to  travel.  Subse- 
quently the  line  was  extended  down  the  Bowery, 
from  Prince  Street  to  its  present  terminus  at  City  Hall 
Park. 

Bennett,  in  the  Herald,  in  referring  to  Coney  Island, 
proclaimed  it  as  an  objectionable  resort,  being  sandy, 
clammy,  and  fishy,  and  that  Bath  was  a  much  pref- 
erable resort.  He  also  proclaimed  Gilbert  Davis  as 
the  Governor  of  the  Island,  and  later  was  in  the 
habit  of  referring  to  Governor  Seward  as  his  "small 
potato  highness,"  and  Horace  Greeley  as  "a  galvanized 
squash."     With   many  of  his  readers  the   designation   of 


3$2  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

Seward  and  Greeley  were  held  to  be  temerity,  with  others 
independence. 

In  October,  1833,  James  P.  Allaire  had  constructed  in 
Water  Street,  a  short  distance  east  of  Jackson  Street  (site 
now  included  in  the  Corlears  Park),  by  Thompson  Price, 
a  builder,  a  four-story  house  designed  for  many  tenants. 
It  was  the  first  house  constructed  proper  or  exclusively 
for  tenants  in  this  city.  It  is  what  is  now  termed  a 
"  single-decker,"  that  is,  but  one  suite  of  rooms  on  a 
floor. 

Houses  then  occupied  by  two  or  more  families  were 
those  of  the  ordinary  construction. 

As  the  vote  of  this  State  was  held  by  the  Whigs  to  be 
essential  to  the  success  of  Mr.  Harrison,  every  oppor- 
tunity that  offered  to  attack  Mr.  Van  Buren,  and  even 
some  that  did  not,  was  availed  of  or  published  to  dis- 
credit him  and  his  administration  with  the  people,  as 
evidenced  in  the  following: 

A  representative  in  Congress  from  Pennsylvania,  after 
dining  with  the  President  (Van  Buren),  attacked  him  and 
the  administration  for  its  extravagance  as  evidenced  in 
the  display  of  gold  spoons  (silver  gilt)  he  had  seen  at  the 
President's  table.  So  widely  spread  was  the  charge  that 
it  proved  a  very  damaging  element  in  the  approaching 
election,  and  the  member  was  universally  known  as 
"gold  spoon  Ogle."  The  result  of  this  was  far  in  ex- 
cess of  what  those  who  first  spread  the  recital  and 
charges  anticipated,  and  when  one  reflects  upon  the 
wonderment  of  the  people  of  the  extreme  border  States 
and  the  comparison  they  daily  drew  between  their  own 
iron  or  pewter  spoons  and  gold,  coupled  with  the  cease- 
less repetition  by  the  political  papers  of  charges  of  uni- 
form extravagance  which  they  were  taxed  to  meet, 
one  should  not  be  surprised  on  being  informed  that  the 
cry  of  "  gold  spoons"  was  a  controlling  element  in  the 
result  of  the  canvass. 


AARON    CLARK,    MAYOR  $$3 

The  opposition  to  President  Van  Buren  was  manifested 
in  a  like  manner  as  it  had  been  to  President  Jackson  in 
the  issue  of  tokens  representing  the  "Treasury  of  the 
United  States  "  being  maintained  on  the  back  of  a  tor- 
toise, representing  the  "Fiscal  Agent,"  and  on  the 
obverse,  a  jackass  and  the  legend,  "  I  follow  in  the  steps 
of  my  Illustrious  Predecessor"  (see  page  334). 

The  manner  of  lighting  dwellings  of  all  kinds,  public 
halls,  and  theatres,  previous  to  about  1832,  was  so  differ- 
ent and  attended  with  so  many  difficulties  and  inconven- 
iences, compared  with  the  facilities  we  now  avail  ourselves 
of,  that  it  is  worthy  of  record.  Thus  :  the  instruments  of 
illumination  were  oil  lamps  and  spermaceti  or  tallow 
candles.  The  lamps  required  attention  to  the  trimming 
of  their  wicks  and  to  guard  them  from  smoking,  and  the 
candles  required  repeated  snuffing  and  would  occasion- 
ally run  or  drip,  as  it  was  termed,  frequently  involving 
damage  thereby,  as  in  ballrooms,  dancing  parties  in 
dwellings,  etc. ;  as  such  places  were  illuminated  by 
chandeliers  with  a  great  number  of  candles  therein, 
some  one  or  more  of  which  would  drip,  and  fortunate 
were  the  parties  who  did  not  receive  drops  of  spermaceti 
upon  their  dresses.  I  have  a  very  vivid  recollection  of 
this. 

In  theatres,  when  it  was  required  to  darken  the  stage, 
the  footlights  were  lowered  below  it,  and  when,  as  in  the 
representation  of  "The  Phantom  Ship,"  the  greatest 
practicable  obscurity  of  illumination  was  required, 
opaque  hemispheres  were  lowered  over  the  chandeliers 
pendent  from  the  sides  of  the  upper  boxes,  and  then 
closed. 

The  Macomb's  dam  was  authorized  by  an  Act  of 
the  Legislature  in  1813  f°r  a  term  of  forty  years,  and 
completed  in  1816  (see  pp.  78-79-115)  and  although  it 
was  provided  in  the  act  that  the  dam  should  be  so  con- 
structed as  to  admit  of  the  passage  of  boats  and  vessels, 


334 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


yet  it  was  not,  and  a  suit  was  instituted  by  a  Mr.  Ren- 
wick  to  have  the  obstructions  to  a  free  passage  removed, 
and  a  dam  constructed  to  admit  of  the  passage  of  vessels 
with  masts.  His  suit  was  successful,  and  the  defend- 
ant removed  one  abutment  and  the  dam  between  three 
others. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

1838-1839-184O. AARON    CLARK,    1838    AND    1 839,    AND 

ISAAC    L.     VARIAN,     1 839    AND    184.O,    MAYORS 

1838.  Early  in  January  it  was  learned  that  the  Penn- 
sylvania packet-ship  had  made  a  passage  hence  to  Liver- 
pool  in  fifteen  days. 

April  22,  the  steamer  Sirius,  Captain  Roberts,  R.  X., 
arrived  from  Liverpool,  being  the  second  steamer  to  cross 
the  ocean  ;  the  following  day  the  Great  Western,  Captain 
Hosken,  Lieutenant  R.  X.,  arrived,  having  made  the  pass- 
age in  12  days  and  18  hours.  Of  course  these  arrivals 
caused  great  excitement  here  ;  especially  was  the  Great 
Western  a  centre  of  interest  from  her  proportions,  then 
termed  "stupendous";  being  234  feet  in  length,  and  1604 
tons  registry,  with  engines  of  450  horse-power.  On  April 
27,  the  city  authorities,  with  a  large  company  of  gentlemen, 
visited  the  vessel  in  a  procession  of  barges  under  com- 
mand of  Captain  Stringham,  U.  S.  N.,  and  were  shown 
the  wonders  on  board  and  refreshed  by  a  collation,  at 
which  I  was  present.  The  departure  of  the  Great  West- 
ern, on  May  7,  was  the  occasion  of  a  great  popular  dem- 
onstration on  land  and  water. 

February  18,  the  Bowery  Theatre  was  burned  for  the 
third  time.  The  fire,  which  broke  out  before  day,  was 
said  to  have  been  set  alight  in  the  carpenter's  shop  in  the 
third  story  of  the  building. 

In  this  year  the  building  known  as  the  Tombs,  in 
Centre  Street,  was  erected;  the  stone  taken  from  the  old 
Jail,  with  granite  from  Maine. 

The  tonnage  of  vessels  constructed  at  the  seven  ship- 
yards in  the  previous  year  amounted  to  11,789  tons. 


336  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

The  House  of  Refuge,  which  stood  upon  ground  now 
part  of  Madison  Square  (see  page  166),  was  destroyed  by 
fire;  and  soon  after  the  necessary  new  structure  was 
finished  and  walled  in,  on  the  block  of  ground  bounded 
by  First  Avenue, Twenty-third  and  Twenty-fourth  streets, 
and  the  river. 

Wm.  L.  Rushton,  who  opened  a  drugstore  at  81  Will- 
iam Street  in  1828,  associated  with  him  in  1830  Wm.  L. 
Aspinwall.  They  also  opened  a  store  at  no  Broadway, 
and  in  this  year  they  embarked  deeply  in  the  morns  multi- 
caulis  enterprise,  in  which  they  realized  a  large  profit, 
but  continuing  their  connection  with  it,  suffered  deeply 
when  it  collapsed,  alike  to  the  South  Sea  Bubble  and  the 
Tulip  craze,  which,  both  in  inception,  progress,  and  result 
it  much  resembled.  Mr.  Hegeman,  the  druggist,  was  a 
protege  of  theirs. 

About  this  year  there  was  published  in  an  evening 
newspaper,  in  the  list  of  deaths,  that  of  Professor  James 
Renwick,  LL.D.,  who  bore  his  painful  illness  with  "  more 
than  Christian  fortitude,"  and  on  the  following  morning 
the  professor  was  surprised  and  amused  at  the  reading  of 
his  own  obituary  and  of  his  "exceptional  fortitude  ";  but 
some  of  his  friends,  in  arriving  at  his  home  to  attend  his 
funeral,  were  the  more  surprised  at  his  reception  of  them. 

The  resumption  of  specie  payments  had  now  been 
accomplished.  An  adjourned  meeting  of  bank  represen- 
tatives, convened  on  April  11  in  New  York,  had  resolved 
to  resume  on  January  1,  1839,  but  the  New  York  banks 
resumed  on  May  10  of  this  year,  and  all  the  others  were 
compelled  by  public  opinion  to  follow  this  example 
July  1.   The  Bank  of  Commerce   was  founded    this   year. 

The  two  works  of  Jas.  Fenimore  Cooper,  at  this  time 
lately  published,  "  Homeward  Bound  "  and  "  Home  as 
Found,"  were  the  subject  of  reprobation  in  the  press  and 
privately,  the  author  being  supposed  to  show  an  unpa- 
triotic  temper  in    them.      Present-day   readers    of  these 


AARON    CLARK,    MAYOR 


337 


books  will  understand  the  ground  of  this  supposition, 
but  they  will  perhaps  conclude  that  a  travelled  American 
might  write  them  without  treason  against  his  country. 

Art  Street  (now  Stuyvesant)  was  widened  in  this  year. 

Richard  Riker,  residing  in  Fulton  Street  between 
Broadway  and  Nassau  Street,  had  filled  the  office  of  Re- 
corder of  the  City  and  County  for  periods  since  1812, 
aggregating  twenty  years.  He  was  universally  respected 
as  a  clear-headed  and  upright  judge.  When  the  question 
of  introducing  water  into  the  city  was  discussed,  he  dis- 
sented from  the  general  opinion  as  to  the  necessity  of 
such  action,  and  cited  in  support  of  the  goodness  and 
sufficiency  of  the  Manhattan  water,  then  in  use  in  some 
streets,  that  he  drank  a  tumbler  of  it  every  morning. 
For  this  he  was  criticised,  caricatured,  and  lampooned 
for  many  years  after. 

In  sentencing  culprits  he  was  apt  to  remark,  they 
"  must  suffer  some,"  and  the  frequent  repetition  of  this 
was  taken  up  by  the  people  and  it  became  a  byword. 
Some  time  previous  to  this,  in  consequence  of  a  contro- 


KIKEK   HOUSE,   SEVENTY-FOURTH   STREET,    BETWEEN   AVENUES   A    AND   B 


3$8  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

versy  arising  from  a  duel  that  had  occurred  between 
De  Witt  Clinton  and  John  Swartwout,  Robert  Swartwout 
challenged  Riker,  and  they  fought  on  the  duelling-ground 
where  Hamilton  fell  soon  after.     Riker  was  wounded. 

May.  In  this  month  "  La  Petite  Augusta"  (Williams) 
first  appeared  at  the  age  of  twelve  in  "La  Bayadere." 
This  was  an  astonishing  child,  the  most  remarkable  of 
juvenile  dancers,  who  was  compared  on  even  terms  with 
her  full-grown  sisters. 

February  19,  Mary  C.  Taylor  first  appeared  in  a  named 
part  at  the  "  Bowery."  In  1840  she  was  at  the  Olympic, 
where  she  remained  (chiefly)  for  nine  years.  She  was  the 
Lize  of  "A  Glance  at  New  York,"  and  became  one  of  the 
greatest  favorites  ever  seen  on  our  stage;  in  fact,  "our 
Mary,"  as  she  was  called,  was  a  popular  idol,  and  well 
deserved  her  favor  for  the  excellence  she  showed  in  her 
saucy  parts,  and  the  virtue  of  her  private  character, 
which  made  her  thoroughly  respected.  Miss  Taylor 
married  and  retired  from  the  stage  in  1852;  she  died 
in  1866. 

September  17,  Charles  Matthews  (the  younger)  and 
Mme.  Vestris  (Mrs.  Matthews)  first  appeared  at  the  Park 
Theatre.  Much  was  expected  of  them,  and  our  public 
experienced  a  proportionate  disappointment.  Neither 
were  the  artists  pleased  with  the  outcome  of  their  adven- 
ture, and  they  returned  to  England  much  dissatisfied. 

In  November  a  very  heavy  deficiency  was  discovered  in 
the  accounts  of  Samuel  Swartwout,  the  late  collector  of 
the  port,  who  had  engaged  the  public  money  in  specula- 
tions during  the  "flush  times."  So  widespread  was  the 
indignation  at  the  treachery  of  Swartwout,  that  to  steal, 
rob,  or  default,  was  for  many  years  after  expressed  as 
"Swartwouting." 

December.  The  city  was  surprised  in  reading  of  the 
sudden  departure  for  Liverpool  of  Wm.  M.  Price,  the 
United  States  District  Attorney.      He  had  been  a  zealous 


AARON    CLARK,    MAYOR  339 

and  effective  partisan  of  the  administration  of  General 
Jackson,  and  an  ardent  supporter  of  Mr.  Van  Buren. 
His  remark  upon  rising  to  address  a  meeting  in  Tammany 
Hall,  during  the  first  canvass  for  mayoralty,  was  for  a  long 
period  referred  to,  and  frequently  quoted.  The  Whigs, 
elated  by  their  success  in  the  previous  campaign,  were 
confident,  and  the  Democrats  were  correspondingly  dis- 
couraged. It  was  a  dark,  stormy  night,  the  rain  falling  in 
torrents;  and  when  Price,  who  was  seated  on  the  plat- 
form, arose,  and  his  greeting  subsided,  he  opened  with  : 
''My  friends,  we  have  seen  a  darker  night  than  this." 
The  effect  was  electrical;  it  was  received  as  a  presage  of 
victory  ;  darker  nights  had  been  seen,  the  worst  had 
passed,  and  Mr.  Lawrence  was  elected. 

1839.  The  arsenal  in  Madison  Square  was  destroyed 
by  fire. 

The  Society  for  Founding  an  Institution  for  the  Blind, 
which  Dr.  Samuel  Akerly  had  essayed  to  organize,  from 
1831,  completed  the  buildings  on  Xinth  Avenue,  between 
Thirty-third  and  Thirty-fourth  streets. 

Ice-boxes  or  refrigerators  were  for  the  first  time  intro- 
duced in  the  markets. 

February  4,  Wm.  E.  Burton  first  appeared  in  New 
York  at  the  National  Theatre.  He  was  destined  to 
have  an  important  share  in  the  dramatic  affairs  of  the 
city. 

At  this  time  plays  founded  on  the  works  of  Dickens 
were  coming  in  favor,  before  the  dramatizations  of  Scott 
and  Cooper  had  well  begun  to  disappear.  February  7,  a 
stage  version  of  "Oliver  Twist"  was  produced  at  the 
Park,  in  which  Charlotte  Cushman  offered  her  remarkable 
delineation  of  Nancy. 

April  30,  occurred  the  semi-centennial  celebration  of 
Washington's  inauguration;  the  exercises  under  the  care 
of  the  New  York  Historical  Society.  There  was  an  ode 
by  Wm.  C.  Bryant,  and  ex-President  John  Quincy  Adams 


34°  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

delivered  an  oration.  The  literary  exercises  were  fol- 
lowed by  a  great  dinner  at  the  City  Hotel. 

In  May  arrived  at  this  port  from  England,  under 
canvas,  a  small  iron  steamer,  the  Robert  F.  Stockton^  of 
thirty  tons  burthen.  The  Great  Western  completed  on 
June  i  the  shortest  western  passage  then  known,  thirteen 
days.  July  20,  the  British  Queen  arrived  on  her  first 
voyage.  She  was  then  the  largest  steamer  ever  built; 
length  over  all,  275  feet;  2016  tons;  500  horse-power. 

In  July,  President  Van  Buren  visited  New  York  and 
was  received  with  a  great  military  parade,  which 
escorted  him  to  Castle  Garden,  where  he  heard  and 
replied  to  an  address. 

Trinity  Church  was  demolished  in  this  year,  to  make 
way  for  the  present  structure. 

The  New  York  and  Harlem  Railroad  Company  com- 
pleted its  double  track  from  Harlem  to  the  City  Hall. 

The  entertainments  of  the  Common  Council  in  the 
"  tea  room  "  were  very  much  enlarged  from  those  of 
earlier  days  both  in  direction  and  scope,  and  early  shad, 
strawberries  and  cream,  and  like  delicacies  could  be 
found  there  in  advance  of  their  appearance  at  the  tables 
of  private  citizens;  on  this  point  I  write  from  experience. 
In  more  recent  times,  as  from  1840,  the  status  or  standard 
of  the  representatives  of  the  people  deteriorated  both  in 
dignity  of  person  and  integrity  of  character,  and  the 
injudicious  admission  of  "  friends,"  supporters,  con- 
tractors, lobbyists,  etc.,  induced  not  only  a  laxity  of  de- 
corum, but  the  introduction  of  wines,  liquors,  and  segars, 
and  very  soon  the  weekly  meetings  in  the  "  tea  room" 
partook  so  much  of  the  character  of  orgies  that  public 
opinion  became  aroused,  and  upon  the  election  of  Mr. 
Harper,  he  proceeded  forthwith  to  suppress  them,  and 
succeeded  not  only  in  saving  such  an  expense  to  the  city, 
but  in  arresting  a  practice  which  occasionally  partook 
more  of  the  character  of  a  debauch  than  an  assemblage 


ISAAC    L.    VARIAN,   MAYOR  34 1 

of  representatives  of  the  people,  to  whom  their  civic 
rights  were  confided. 

May  6,  the  Bowery  Theatre,  rebuilt  by  Hamblin, 
was  opened.  Mrs.  Shaw  then  appeared  first  at  this 
house,  where  she  continued  long  to  be  a  favorite.  June 
13,  John  Gilbert  was  first  seen  in  New  York  here,  as 
Sir  Edward  Mortimer. 

May  21,  the  dancers  M.  and  Mme.  Paul  Taglioni 
were  brought  out  at  the  Park.  The  former  was  a 
brother  to  the  famous  danseuse  Marie  Taglioni.  His 
wife  was  esteemed  inferior  to  none  but  Elssier.  Never- 
theless, they  did  not  attract  great  houses. 

May  30.  A  portion  of  the  estate  of  the  late  Henry 
Eckford  was  sold  at  auction  this  day.  Mr.  Eckford  pur- 
chased the  property,  consisting  of  a  large  country  house, 
stables,  shed,  etc.,  fronting  on  Seventh  and  Eighth 
avenues,  Twenty-first  to  Twenty-fourth  streets,  in  Nov- 
ember, 1824,  from  Clement  C.  Moore,  for  sixteen  thou- 
sand dollars,  22.6  acres.  At  that  time  the  surface  of 
the  ground  was  low  and  a  great  portion  of  it  wet,  so  much 
so  that  the  location  as  a  residence  was  unhealthy.  So 
wild  was  this  purchase  considered  that  friends  of  Eckford 
would  jocosely  ask  him  about  his  cow  pasture,  and  if  he 
intended  to  raise  frogs,  etc. 

It  was  here  that  his  daughter  died,  and  his  son  John, 
who  had  just  returned  from  travel  abroad,  lost  his  life  in 
essaying  to  save  her.  She  was  ill  with  fever,  and  at  night 
a  spark  from  the  fireplace  before  which  she  was  reclining 
ignited  her  clothing;  she  rushed  into  her  brother's  room 
and  he  burned  his  hands,  in  endeavoring  to  quench  the 
flames,   to  the  extent   that   he   died  from  tetanus. 

This  sale  gave  an  average  of  a  little  in  excess  of 
fifty  dollars  per  city  lot. 

Henry  Clay  visited  the  city  in  August,  being  escorted 
down  Broadway  from  the  steamboat  landing  at  Ham- 
mond  Street   to   the  City  Hall    Park,  where  he   was   wel- 


342  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

corned,  and  delivered  an  answering  speech.  On  the 
next  day  he  held  a  reception  in  the  Governor's  room  of 
the  City  Hall.  Mr.  Clay  was  at  this  time  a  favorite 
candidate  for  the  pending  nomination  of  the  Whigs  for 
the  Presidency,  which  was  given  by  the  Harrisburg 
Convention,  in  December,  to  General  William  Henry 
Harrison. 

August.  In  the  latter  part  of  this  month  it  was  re- 
ported by  the  captain  of  an  arriving  vessel  that  a  long, 
low,  well-manned,  suspicious  schooner  was  seen  by  him 
off  the  New  Jersey  coast,  and  as  the  report  in  detail  and 
authority  warranted  action  on  the  part  of  the  comman- 
dant of  the  naval  station  here,  Commodore  Ridgely 
ordered  the  steam  frigate  Fulton,  Captain  M.  C.  Perry, 
forthwith  to  proceed  to  sea  in  search  of  the  reported 
craft. 

The  Fulton,  after  running  down  the  New  Jersey  coast 
as  far  as  Shark  River,  returned  and  anchored  off  the 
Hook,  awaiting  daylight,  and  when  it  appeared,  she 
went  seaward  in  a  southeast  course,  and  returned  late 
in  the  evening  to  the  Navy  Yard. 

This  manner  of  proceeding  on  the  part  of  Captain 
Perry  was  wholly  at  variance  with  the  views  of  his 
officers  (among  whom  I  was  one),  who  argued  that  if 
the  vessel  was  of  the  character  supposed,  her  captain 
would  avoid  the  vicinity  of  Sandy  Hook  as  being  too 
near  the  presence  of  a  revenue  cutter  or  a  naval  cruiser; 
but  would  proceed  to  the  south  coast  of  Long  Island  to 
intercept  an  European  vessel. 

A  few  days  after  (the  31st)  Lieutenant  (iedney,  in 
command  of  a  United  States  Coast  Survey  schooner  in 
Long  Island  Sound,  captured  the  unresisting  vessel  near 
Montauk  Point,  where  she  had  been  run  in  to  procure 
water.  Upon  investigation  it  appeared  that  her  name 
was  the  A  mist e ad,  and  that  she  had  left  Havana  for  a 
neighboring  port  with  a  number  of  slaves  who  had  been 


ISAAC    L.    VARIAX,    MAYOR  343 

just  landed  there,  and  that  the  slaves  rose  upon  the 
crew,  murdered  some,  and  took  possession  of  the  vessel, 
sparing  the  two  passengers,  one  of  whom  had  been  in 
command  of  a  vessel  and  could  navigate.  He  was 
ordered  to  take  the  schooner  to  Africa,  but  he  deceived 
them  and  directed  her  here. 

Upon  the  authorities  in  Connecticut  taking  possession 
of  the  vessel,  Lieutenant  Gedney  having  delivered  her 
there,  a  body  of  fanatics,  not  satisfied  with  the  emanci- 
pation of  the  slaves,  conspired  to  arrest  the  two  pas- 
sengers who  had  purchased  the  slaves  and  succeeded  in 
throwing  them  into  prison,  the  result  of  which,  added 
to  what  was  to  be  done  with  the  freed  negroes,  the 
vessel,  etc.,  engendered  a  complication  of  questions  of 
rights  and  duties,  that  seriously  involved  the  amicable 
relations  of  the  United  States  and  Spain. 

In  illustration  of  the  difference  in  the  frequency  and 
convenience  of  the  method  of  travel  compared  with  that 
of  a  later  day:  I  in  1835  was  required  to  visit  Rahway, 
X.  J.,  and  taking  the  most  expeditious  route,  I  left  in  a 
steamboat  from  the  foot  of  Battery  Place,  and  after  reach- 
ing Elizabethtown  (now  Elizabeth)  I  took  stage  to  Rahway, 
and  on  my  return,  as  the  steamboat  had  returned  to  Xew 
York,  I  was  compelled  to  take  a  private  conveyance  to 
Xewark  and  from  there  I  reached   the  city  by  stage. 

September  7,  Charles  Rean  appeared  at  the  Xational 
as  Hamlet,  after  a  long  absence.  On  the  afternoon  of 
the  23d,  while  the  stage  was  set  for  his  Richard,  the  house 
was  burned.  The  fire  involved  the  adjoining  French 
Episcopal  Church  (du  Saint  Esprit),  the  African  Metho- 
dist Church  opposite,  and  a  Dutch  Reformed  Church 
in  Franklin,  near  Church  Street.  The  French  Church, 
built  in  1822,  was  a  handsome  marble  structure.  Wallack 
transferred  his  company  to  Xiblo's,  beginning  there  on 
October  1,  when  Yandenhoff,  as  Hamlet,  appeared  for  the 
first    time   since    his   return    from    Europe. 


344  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

Unfavorable  business  conditions  prevailing  in  this  year 
were  heightened  in  October  by  the  suspension  of  the 
Bank  of  the  United  States  in  Philadelphia,  and  of  all  the 
Philadelphia  banks  on  the  succeeding  day. 

November  27,  died  Samuel  Ward,  head  of  the  great 
banking-house  of  Prime,  Ward,  King  &  Co.  Mr.  Ward's 
death,  at  the  early  age  of  fifty-five,  was  deeply  felt  in 
business  and  social  life. 

September  11,  the  New  Chatham  Theatre,  built  for 
Flynn  &  Willard  on  the  south-east  side  of  Chatham 
Street  between  James  and  Roosevelt  streets,  was  opened. 

October  5,  fire,  aided  by  a  fresh  wind,  destroyed  the 
block  between  Pearl  and  Water  streets  south  of  Fulton, 
besides  fourteen  buildings  in  Front  Street,  some  in  Water 
Street  below  Burling  Slip,  and  even  some  in  Fletcher 
Street. 

In  December  the  daguerreotype  was  first  introduced 
in  New  York,  exciting  great  interest  and  wonder. 

December  14,  died  Robert  Lenox,  of  Scotch  parentage 
and  birth,  a  successful  merchant  and  a  shrewd  investor 
in  land  in  the  upper  portion  of  the  city.  In  the  War  of 
the  Revolution  his  father  was  the  keeper  of  the  dreaded 
prison-ship  at  the  Wallabout,  Brooklyn,  and  Robert  was 
an  individual  assistant  to  his  father,  enjoying  the  highly 
remunerative  position  of  supplying  the  prisoners  with 
such  articles  as  were  not  included  in  their  meagre  and 
ill-served  rations. 

Thaddeus  Phelps,  who  lived  at  109  Liberty  Street,  was 
connected  with  Fish  &  Grinnell  in  their  line  of  Liverpool 
packets,  and  was  well  known  as  a  citizen  and  a  merchant. 
He  usually  expressed  his  views  very  decidedly  and  with 
emphasis.  On  one  occasion  of  his  riding  in  an  omnibus 
on  Broadway,  an  entering  passenger  trod  on  his  foot, 
whereupon  he  used  an  expression  not  to  be  found  in 
Lord  Chesterfield's  letters  ;  and  another  well-known 
citizen,    who     was    seated     opposite    to    him,    remarked, 


ISAAC    L.    VARIAN,    MAYOR  345 

"Tush,  tush,  don't  swear,  friend  Phelps;  "  to  which  the 
latter  replied,  "  Never  mind  that;  you  pray  and  I  swear, 
but  neither  of  us  means  anything." 

St.  George's  Society  of  New  York,  which  was  organized 
in  1786,  was  incorporated  in  this  year.  It  assists  needy 
English  residents  of  this  city  or  vicinity.  Special  atten- 
tion given  to  destitute  and  helpless  women  and  children. 

The  old  or  Boston  Post  Road  from  the  corner  of 
Twenty-third  Street  and  Broadway  to  Harlem  Bridge  was 
closed  in  this  year. 

Captain  John  Ericsson  arrived  here,  and  in  1842  he  de- 
signed the  steam  machinery  and  propeller  for  the  United 
States  steamer  Princeton,  which  was  being  constructed  at 
the  Navy  Yard  at  Philadelphia,  under  the  general  direc- 
tion of  Captain  R.  F.  Stockton,  United  States  Navy. 

December  9,  Mitchell  leased  the  Olympic,  and  opened 
it  as  a  low-priced  house  for  amusing  entertainments. 
The  house  became  the  fashion,  and  a  steady  prosperity 
followed  it  for  ten  years.  The  bills  for  that  time  com- 
pose a  marvel  of  variety.  In  April  of  the  next  year 
Mitchell  brought  out  his  "  La  Mosquito,"  a  most  amusing 
travesty  of  Fanny  Elssler's  "Tarantula,"  and  an  almost 
equally  funny  burlesque  of  her  "  Cracovienne  ";  these 
were  very  famous  for  a  time. 

December,  1839.  New  Chatham  Theatre  was  recon- 
structed and  opened  as  Purdy's  National  Theatre. 

1840.  The  tunnel  of  the  New  York  &  Harlem  Railroad 
at  Yorkville  was  completed  in  this  year. 

Business  was  greatly  depressed  during  the  earlier 
portion  of  the  year,  and  the  growing  political  excitement 
in  the  famous  "  Singing  Campaign  "  of  "  Tippecanoe  and 
Tyler,  too "  prevented  much  revival.  In  March,  the 
house  and  lot  No.  11  Broadway — the  lot  thirty-nine  feet 
front,  by  twenty-seven  feet  rear  on  Greenwich  Street, 
and  nearly  two  hundred  feet  deep — was  sold  by  auction 
for  only  fifteen  thousand  dollars.      Nevertheless,  as  will 


346  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

be  seen,  the  life  of  the  town  went  on  with  much  of  its 
usual  enjoyment. 

January.  Captain  Waite  of  the  packet  ship  England, 
arrived  here  by  the  Northern  route  from  Liverpool,  by 
which  he  claimed  to  have  shortened  his  passage  from  ten 
to  fifteen  days,  and  he  showed  his  previous  passages  and 
his  last  to  be  as  follows:  1837,  thirty-five  days;  1838, 
thirty-nine  days,  and  the  last,  twenty-six. 

January  13,  the  steamboat  Lexington  on  Long  Island 
Sound,  hence  to  New  London,  at  half-past  seven  in  the 
evening  took  fire  from  sparks  from  the  furnaces  of  her 
boiler,  projected  by  the  fan  blower  upon  cotton  bales 
stowed  in  a  gangway.  She  burned  and  sank  at  three  in 
the  morning,  and  out  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  passengers 
and  a  crew  of  twenty-five,  but  four  were  saved.  She 
carried  also  sixty  thousand  dollars  in  specie. 

The  indignation  of  the  public  in  consequence  of  the 
neglectful  manner  in  which  the  cotton  was  stowed,  the 
insufficiency  of  life-saving  instruments,  and  the  great  loss 
of  life,  was  increased  by  the  publication  of  the  fact  that  a 
schooner  commanded  by  Captain  Terrell  was  within  a  few 
miles  of  the  disaster,  and  in  no  wise  essayed  to  approach 
and  aid,  although  the  wind  was  blowing  so  fresh  that  he 
could  have  readily  arrived  at  the  scene  of  the  disaster  in 
time  to  be  of  service. 

January  27,  the  public  stores  and  a  dozen  others  in 
Front  and  South  streets,  near  Dover,  were  burned,  the 
loss  on  the  public  stores  alone  amounting  to  a  million 
and  a  half. 

January  30,  died  Stephen  Price,  who  for  many  years 
was  a  joint  lessee  of  the  Park  Theatre,  first  in  1807  with 
Thomas  Cooper,  the  tragedian,  and  late  with  Edmund 
Simpson.  Price  and  Cooper  built  and  resided  in  the  two 
elegant  houses  corner  of  Broadway  and  Leonard  Street, 
afterward  occupied  as  the  Carlton  House;  then  taken 
down  and  replaced  by  the  stores  of  E.  S.  Jaffray  *S:  Co. 


ISAAC    L.    VARIAN,    MAYOR  347 

Price  at  one  time  was  lessee  of  the  Drury  Lane  Theatre 
in  London.  The  association  was  Simpson  &  Price,  the 
former  being  manager  of  the  Park  Theatre  here,  and  the 
latter  engaging  actors  and  performers  abroad.  William 
M.  Price,  referred  to  on  page  189,  was  a  brilliant 
criminal  lawyer,  and  subsequently  district  attorney  here 
under  General  Jackson.  He  had  a  brother  Benjamin, 
who  one  evening,  in  company  with  his  wife  at  the  theatre, 
took  offence  at  the  conduct  of  a  British  officer  seated  in 
an  adjoining  box;  whereupon  he  entered  the  box  where 
the  officer  was  seated  and  wrung  his  nose,  and  upon  the 
officer's  declaring  that  he  did  not  intend  to  offend  the 
lady,  Price  in  effect  replied  that  he  meant  no  offence 
either,  and  thus  the  matter  rested  for  a  while;  but  the 
absurdity  of  the  officer's  action  becoming  known  at 
Montreal,  where  he  was  stationed,  he  was  informed  by 
his  mess  that  he  must  challenge  Price  or  suffer  being  put 
in  Coventry.  He  then  commenced  the  practice  of  pistol- 
shooting,  and  soon  after  returned  here,  challenged  Price, 
and  shot  him  through  the  head  at  the  first  fire.  He  then 
took  a  boat  and  boarded  a  vessel  leaving  for  Europe. 

Some  years  after  this,  the  captain  who  had  been  active 
in  causing  the  return  of  the  officer  to  challenge  Price 
visited  here,  and  Stephen  Price  learning  of  it,  called  and 
addressed  him:  "  I  have  come  to  insult  you.  Is  it  neces- 
sary for  me  to  knock  you  down?"  "Not  at  all,"  was 
the  reply.  They  and  their  seconds  left  the  Navy  Yard 
in  company  in  one  boat,  proceeded  to  Bedlow's  Island, 
and  Price  killed  the  captain  at  the  first  fire. 

Later  Price,  taking  offence  at  the  attention  of  a  lieuten- 
ant in  the  Navy  to  his  wife,  challenged  him;  they  met  at 
Weehawken,  and  Price  was  wounded  in  the  leg.  This 
lieutenant  was  the  son  of  a  gentleman  who  had  been 
a  well-known  soap  manufacturer.  Cooper,  the  former 
partner  of  Price,  had  married  the  sister  of  one  of  the 
brightest  women  of  the  day,  who  from  that    connection 


348  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

.with  Price  was  inimically  disposed  to  the  lieutenant, 
and  when  he,  upon  an  occasion  when  she  was  present, 
was  referring  to  his  late  cruise  in  the  Mediterranean,  and 
the  pleasure  he  took  in  a  land  excursion  there,  she  re- 
marked, "You  must  have  felt  quite  at  home  in  Greece  " 

This  same  lady,  in  company  one  evening  when  a  gentle- 
man whose  father  had  been  a  saddler  gave  a  recital  of 
the  misdeeds  of  an  actor,  and  erroneously  charged  them 
to  her  brother-in-law  Cooper,  remarked,  "You  have  put 
the  saddle  on  the  wrong  horse."  I  knew  her  intimately, 
and  enjoyed  her  friendship. 

January  31,  a  party  of  roughs  on  the  East  Side 
entered  private  houses  and  a  German  restaurant,  101 
Elizabeth  Street,  when  they  broke  tables,  etc.,  and  were 
fired  upon  by  the  keeper  and  his  friends;  killing  one 
and  wounding  four  others;  the  excitement  consequent 
upon  which  led  to  a  repetition  of  rioting  for  several 
subsequent  nights. 

February  24,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brevoort,  at  their  house 
on  Fifth  Avenue,  entertained  their  friends  and  some 
acquaintances  at  a  fancy  ball  ;  it  was  the  social  event  of 
the  period,  had  been  for  a  long  while  in  preparation,  and 
was  pronounced  a  great  success.  A  reporter  of  the 
Herald  (Attree),  on  the  application  of  the  editor,  was 
permitted  to  be  present,  appearing  in  costume. 

This  spring  the  first  registry  law  for  the  City  of  New 
York  came  into  force.  The  property  qualification  for 
voters  was  abolished  under  it,  and  with  enlarged  suffrage 
the  quality  of  candidates  for  public  office  suffered  a 
decline.  Up  to  this  period  the  men  who  took  an  active 
and  prominent  part  in  politics  were  of  a  very  different 
(lass  from  those  who  came  later.  The  Democrats  hav- 
ing a  place  of  meeting,  Tammany  Hall,  and  a  chartered 
organization  meeting  monthly,  their  principal  men  were 
brought  more  into  public  notice  than  their  oppo- 
nents.     Their  party  was  supported  by  many  well-known 


ISAAC    L.    VARIA'N,    MAYOR  349 

citizens,  as  Saul  Alley,  Stephen  Allen,  Gideon  Lee, 
Walter  Bowne,  George  Douglass,  Campbell  P.  White, 
Chas.  Graham,  Cornelius  W.  Lawrence,  Daniel  Jackson; 
while  a  prominent  representative  of  their  opponents  was 
Philip   Hone. 

Gradually,  from  this  time,  the  elder  men  withdrew 
from  active  participation,  and  younger  and  more  ambi- 
tious men  supplanted  them,  and  finally,  in  the  race  for  the 
emoluments  of  office,  consideration  of  either  the  avowed 
principles  of  the  party  or  the  claims  of  its  defenders  was 
set  aside. 

While  the  registry  law  was  pending  in  the  Legislature, 
the  Whigs  held  a  meeting  (March  27)  in  Masonic  Hall 
to  express  their  approbation,  but  members  of  the  adverse 
party  were  there  and  interrupted  the  proceedings  by 
their  opposition.  Being  once  expelled  they  returned  in 
greater  force,   and    a    considerable   disturbance    ensued. 

By  this  time  the  "log  cabin"  and  "hard  cider" 
political  watchwords  were  in  full  cry.  Some  persons 
having  reproached  the  Whigs  with  selecting  for  Presi- 
dential candidate  a  rude  man  who  lived  in  a  log  cabin 
and  drank  only  hard  cider  (though  in  fact  General 
Harrison  was  of  an  old  Virginian  family  used  to  the 
graces  of  good  breeding),  the  Whigs  had  made  good  use 
of  the  averment,  turning  it  to  their  own  uses,  and  con- 
trasting their  candidate's  plain  living  with  the  alleged 
luxury  of  Van  Buren  in  the  White  House  in  a  manner 
that  wrought  greatly  upon  the  popular  mind.  In  June 
they  built  a  great  log  cabin  in  Broadway  near  Prince 
Street,  which  was  dedicated  to  campaign  purposes  by  a 
great  meeting,  and  cider  was  provided  in  barrels;  whence 
the  campaign  was  universally  known  as  the  "  Log  Cabin 
and  Hard  Cider  Campaign." 

May  2,  1840,  associated  with  Thomas  McElrath,  H. 
Greeley  &  Co.  issued  The  Log  Cabin  simultaneously  in 
this  city  and  Albany,   twenty  thousand    copies  of  which 


150  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


CONTOIT  S  GARDEN,  BROADWAY.  BETWEEN    LEONARD   AND 
FRANKLIN  STREETS 


were  disposed  of  in  one  day;  then  editions  summing 
eight  thousand  were  printed  and  the  type  distributed, 
reset,  and  another  edition  of  ten  thousand  printed,  all  of 
which  were  sold.     It  was  published  at  30  Ann  Street. 

May  3,  Fanny  Elssler,  a  famous  opera  danseuse,  ar- 
rived in  the  Great  Western,  and  appeared  at  the  Park 
Theatre  before  an  enormous  audience  on  May  14.  The 
grace  of  her  movements  was  positively  fascinating.  Her 
dibut  was  in  La  Cracovicnne;  the  pit  arose  en  masse  and 
cheered  her.  A  gentleman  at  my  side,  within  two 
minutes  after  her  appearance,  remarked  :  "  I  have  got 
my  dollar's  worth  already."  Her  engagement  continued 
for    fifteen  nights,   and  the  house  was  crowded    for  the 


ISAAC    L.    VARIAN,    MAYOR  35  I 

entire  period.  A  plain  account  of  the  attention  and 
interest  aroused  by  Elssler,  not  only  in  New  York  but 
throughout  the  country,  would  scarcely  be  credited  at 
this  day.  She  remained  for  little  more  than  a  year  in 
this  country,  and  upon  her  return  to  Germany  married 
and  left  the  stage. 

Late  in  June  the  Richmond  Hill  Theatre  was  reopened, 
transformed  into  a  spacious  saloon  with  concert  stage, 
a  change  handsomely  effected.  The  place  was  now 
named  the  Tivoli  Gardens.  The  concerts  did  not  attract 
the  public,  and  after  a  short  time  vaudeville,  at  reduced 
prices,  replaced  them  with  better  success. 

In  May  a  daguerreotype  portrait  was  shown  to  me  ;  it 
was  one  of  the  very  first  that  had  been  taken  here  by  the 
representative  or  agent  of  Mr.  Daguerre  ;  it  was  on  a 
copper  plate,  silvered  and  polished,  which  having  been 
bathed  with  the  required  chemical,  the  reflected  rays 
from  the  sitter  were  received  upon  it.  When  finished 
and  placed  in  a  position  proper  to  receive  the  light, 
some  faint  lines  could  be  discovered,  provided  your  eye- 
sight was  good;  but  in  consequence  of  the  sitter  being 
necessitated  to  face  a  bright  light  for  several  minutes, 
the  stress  upon  the  eyes  was  such  that  a  proper  delinea- 
tion of  the  features  was  impracticable.  This  was  the 
operation  in  its  primitive  form,  and  in  view  of  the  suc- 
cessful development  of  it,  it  may  be  truly  said,  nihil  simul 
est  invent um  aut perfection. 

John  C.  Stevens  had  built  at  Cape's  shipyard,  Williams- 
burgh  (now  Brooklyn,  E.  1).),  the  schooner  yacht  On-ka- 
hy-e  from  the  design  of  his  brother  Robert  L.  Her 
futtocks  were  U-shaped,  thus  forming  a  deep  but  wide 
keel,  operating  like  a  long  but  shallow  centre-board; 
being  in  fact  an  approach  to  a  "fin  keel  "  of  the  present 
time  (1895).  In  1842  she  was  purchased  by  the  United 
States  Government  and  employed  in  the  Coast  Survey. 

In  June  the  first  Cunarder  arrived  at  Boston  by  way  of 


352  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

Halifax.  It  was  supposed  that  making  Boston  the 
terminus  would  seriously  interfere  with  the  passenger 
business  of  New  York,  and  Boston  itself  went  wild  with 
joy  over  the  prospect  of  such  rivalry;  but  as  it  turned 
out,  some  natural  law,  like  that  which  makes  great  rivers 
run  by  great  cities,  brought  the  ships  here,  after  all  ! 

Cunard  Line.  As  the  steamers  of  this  line  were  the 
first  to  bear  a  regular  and  Government  Mail  between 
England  and  this  country,  a  detail  of  its  early  operation 


■ 


BRITANNIA 


is  of  interest,  and  worthy  of  record  for  future  reference 
and  comparison  with  capacities  and  speed. 

In  this  year  Samuel  Cunard  of  Halifax,  associated 
with  Messrs.  Burns  &  Mclver  of  Glasgow,  organized  the 
British  and  North  American  Royal  Mail  Steam  Packet  Co., 
under  a  contract  with  the  British  Government  for  a  bi- 
monthly mail  between  Liverpool,  Halifax,  and  Boston, 
with  four  steamers,  for  eighty  thousand  pounds  sterling 
per  annum.  The  steamers  were  the  Britannia^  Acadia, 
Caledonia,  and  Columbia;  the  first  leaving  Liverpool  on 
Friday,  the  4th  of  July,  and  arriving  at  Boston  in  fourteen 
days  and  eight  hours,  to  the  great  delight  of  the  Bos- 
tonians  and  their  anticipation  of  commercial  advance- 
ment in  consequence,  she  having  attained  an  average 
speed  of  eight  and  one-half  knots  per  hour,  with  an  ex- 
penditure of  thirty-eight  tons  of  coal  per  day.  Whenever 
any  question  arose  as  to  the  present  or  future  prospects 


ISAAC    L.    VARIAX,    MAYOR  353 

of  the  cities  of  Boston  and  New  York,  we  were  uni- 
formly met  with,  "We  have  a  line  of  Liverpool  steamers," 
which  was  held  to  settle  the  question  of  commercial 
superiority. 

A  great  public  meeting  of  the  Whigs  convened  on 
September  28,  in  Wall  Street,  by  the  Merchants'  Ex- 
change, where  Daniel  Webster  delivered  an  elaborate 
oration  lasting  more  than  two  hours  and  a  half.  This 
was  a  notable  event  in  New  York  political  history, 
Webster  being  at  or  near  his  very  best  in  this  oration, 
and  the  mass  of  his  auditory  being  enormous  for  the 
time  ;  it  was  carefully  computed  at  15,000  persons,  the 
city's  population  being  but  312,000.  At  the  same  hour 
a  Democratic  meeting  was  held  in  the  Park,  which  also 
was  very  largely  attended,  so  that  "overflow"  gatherings 
were  organized  and  the  crowd  was  addressed  by  four 
orators  at  once.  At  the  distance  of  more  than  half  a 
century,  this  campaign  of  1840  remains  distinctly  pre- 
eminent for  height  and  breadth  of  popular  interest.  At 
the  Xew  York  election  on  November  4,  in  one  city 
election  district,  with  a  registry  of  670,  664  votes  were 
polled.  Yet  even  under  such  circumstances,  the  total 
vote  of  the  city  amounted  only  to  43,000. 

The  general  election  continued  through  several  days 
in  the  different  States,  which  fact,  together  with  the 
exceeding  closeness  of  the  vote  in  some  quarters,  delayed 
news  of  the  final  result  and  intensified  the  public  excite- 
ment to  a  point  almost  unbearable.  Considerable  rioting 
and  disorder  occurred  in  New  York,  and  it  is  almost 
literally  true  to  say  that,  so  long  as  the  event  was  in 
doubt,  nothing  else  was  in  men's  minds;  so  that  for 
several  days  business  and  pleasure  were  alike  suspended, 
and  no  subject  but  the  election  was  seriously  mentioned. 

The  Marquis  of  Waterford,  on  a  second  visit  to  the 
country  in  this  year,  became  notorious  for  his  riotous 
proceedings   at    night;    his    several   appearances    before 

12 


354  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

Police  Justice  Hopson  were  so  frequent,  and  of  such  a 
character  were  the  proceedings,  that  the  public  became 
much  interested  in  them.  His  lordship's  fame  in  noc- 
turnal riots,  in  all  the  cities  he  visited,  was  notorious; 
and  strange  as  it  may  appear,  in  all  his  conflicts  with 
watchmen,  he  never  received  an  injury  but  on  one  occa- 
sion, and  that  in  Norway,  and  then,  instead  of  being  the 
aggressor,  he  was  defending  a  woman  when  he  was 
attacked  by  watchmen  and  wounded  by  them  with  their 
peculiar  instrument  of  defence  and  attack,  a  bill-hook  at 
the  end  of  a  pole.3 

August,  Charlotte  Cushman  made  her  last  appearance, 
and  was  much  missed  after  her  departure.  August  31, 
Tyrone  Power  reappeared  on  his  second  visit.  Septem- 
ber 28,  Mrs.  Wood  was  heard  again  (in  "  Sonnambula  ") 
after  four  years'  absence.  She  was  greeted  with  en- 
thusiasm and  calls  for  "  Wood,"  in  spite  of  the  untoward 
experience  of  that  gentleman  in  former  years.  Under 
this  encouragement  he  appeared  on  October  1,  and  was 
well  applauded. 

September  30,  Hackett,  who  had  been  known  only  as  a 
comic  actor,  appeared  as  Lear. 

December  21,  John  Braham,  the  English  vocalist,  who 
had  come  here  with  a  great  reputation,  but  with  voice 
old  and  worn,  made  his  first  theatrical  appearance  at 
the  Park  in  the  "  Siege  of  Belgrade."  After  which 
the  theatre  was  closed  for  a  brief  interval.  Within  a 
week  it  reopened  in  a  new  guise,  with  the  stage  and 
pit  connected;  making  a  large  apartment,  in  which 
promenade  concerts  were  given,  at  twenty-five  cents 
admission. 

The  Bowery,  at  this  period,  had  become  perhaps  the 
most  interesting  street  in  the  city,  and  so  it  remains, 
though  with  characteristics  much  altered  from  those  of 
1840.  That  date  is  about  the  mid-period  of  its  peculiar 
notoriety  as  a  native  product,  before  the  vast  incursion  of 


ISAAC    L.    VARTAN,    MAYOR  355 

foreigners  had  given  it  its  present  cosmopolitan  distinc- 
tion. The  "  Bowery  boy  "  (or  b'hoy)  and  "  Bowery  gal  " 
were  at  the  height  of  their  development  as  represented 
on  the  theatrical  stage,  with  not  overmuch  exaggeration, 
by  Chanfrau  in  the  well  remembered  types  of  Mose, 
Sikesy,  and  Lize.  The  "Bowery  boy"  flourished  in  his 
own  proper  time,  and  departed,  never  to  return.  He 
was  the  outcome  of  conditions  that  will  not  exist  again, 
being  primarily  a  product  of  the  volunteer  fire  depart- 
ment system,  and  appearing  in  an  age  when  the  com- 
parative smallness  of  the  city  allowed  marked  social 
peculiarities  to  become  prominent,  which  would  be  lost 
amid  the  mass  of  people  and  the  whirl  of  things  in  which 
all  forms  of  singularity  now  appear  and  pass,  with  but  a 
moment's  notice  and  comment.  "  Bowery  boys  "  were 
not  wholly  admirable  beings,  but  they  had  some  qualities 
that  were  admirable,  and  were  much  to  be  preferred  to 
any  later  varieties  of  the  genus  "rough."  In  their  com- 
bats they  were  content  with  nature's  weapons,  avoiding 
murderous  implements;  they  were  mostly  men  of  regular 
occupations  and  industry,  the  Boweryism  being  only 
their  form  of  amusement  in  leisure  hours;  they  were 
comparatively  sober,  and  cultivated  certain  traits  of 
manliness,  especially  a  respect  for  women,  which  was 
traditional  with  them;  and  they  were  intensely  American. 
Even  the  more  strictly  professional  "bruisers,"  or  prize- 
fighters,— "  Bill "  Harrington,  a  man  of  mark  in  his  time, 
"Tom"  Hyer,  and  John  Morrissey,  "Bill"  Poole,  at  a 
somewhat  later  day,  and  others  of  their  class, — had  points 
of  comparative  respectability. 

The  Bowery  remains,  and  remains  an  absorbing  study; 
but  the  Bowery  of  old  remains  no  more  than  the  Old 
Bowery  Theatre,  long  since  changed  to  the  Thalia,  and 
now  become  a  Jewish  theatre,  with  its  front  covered  by 
bills  of  the  play  in  Hebrew.  It  remains  no  more  like  the 
Bowery  of  1840  than  that  was  like  the  eighteenth-century 


356  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

country  road.  Traces  of  that  condition  my  curious 
readers  may  find  in  the  old  milestones  still  remaining, 
one  nearly  opposite  Rivington  Street,  another  between 
Sixteenth  and  Seventeenth  streets  (in  Third  Avenue); 
the  third  appears  to  have  been  destroyed,  but  the  fourth 
is  in  Third  Avenue  just  above  Fifty-seventh  Street. 
These  are  all  on  the  west  side  of  the  way — stout  stones, 
deeply  incised  with  advice  to  the  travellers  of  the  dis- 
tance "to  City  Hall,  New  York."  They  are  commonly 
plastered  over  with  handbills,  which  should  be  forbidden; 
and  surely  every  care  should  be  taken  to  preserve  in 
place,  unharmed,  these  memorials  of  the  past. 

For  years  I  passed  through  this  street  almost  daily, 
and  maintained  the  habit  of  visiting  it  occasionally  at 
night,  by  way  of  a  novel  amusement.  It  would  be 
enough  perhaps  to  stroll  there  for  an  hour  or  two  of  an 
evening;  watching  the  thronging  East  Side  engaged  in  so 
many  modes  of  money-getting,  and  such  diverse  diver- 
sions; wondering  what  manner  of  lives  they  are  which 
these  things  nurture  or  destroy,  and  guessing  at  the 
"subtle  ways  "  such  people  "keep,  and  pass,  and  turn 
again."  An  observer  might  be  content  thus  to  study  the 
Bowery  by  bits  on  sidewalks  or  in  shops;  but  it  would  be 
unwise  for  him  to  omit  the  theatres,  where  the  popula- 
tion is  massed  for  his  leisurely  regard.  Formerly  it  was 
of  course  the  Old  Bowery  Theatre  where  the  quintessence 
of  East  Side  character  was  concentrated.  Its  conver- 
sion, and  the  growing  specialization  among  audiences, 
have  left  no  place  like  in  all  points  to  the  famous  old 
house;  still  any  Bowery  gallery  may  contain  an  audience 
of  the  same  general  description  as  that  which  filled  the 
upper  tier  of  the  Old  Bowery  on  my  last  visit  to  it,  a 
generation  ago. 

It  was  on  a  Saturday  night,  chosen  because  Saturday  is 
a  "  gala  night  "  in  the  vast  quarter  for  which  the  Bowery 
is  the  chief  avenue  of  traffic  and  pleasure;  a    night   when 


ISAAC    L.    VARIAN,    MAYOR  357 

wages,  being  just  paid,  are  to  be  spent,  and  the  long  rest 
before  Monday's  work  shall  begin  invites  to  multiform 
and  deep  indulgence.  Passing  through  still  and  deserted 
Broadway  in  the  early  evening,  and  then  along  Canal 
Street,  in  company  with  a  friend,  we  came  to  the  turbu- 
lent Bowery.  The  contrast  was  forcible.  The  Bowery 
seemed  just  waking  up,  its  day — the  real  day — was  be- 
ginning. Already  the  sidewalks  seemed  full,  and  as 
hasty  suppers  were  despatched,  more  and  more  came  to 
jostle  along  the  ways.  The  shops  were  all  alight  and  full 
of  chaffering  buyers;  the  many  shows  had  illuminated 
their  signs  of  glass  and  gas;  the  doors  of  the  great 
Atlantic  Garden  swung  to  and  fro  incessantly.  The  front 
of  the  Old  Bowery  Theatre  flared  brightly  amid  a  grove 
of  flags  as  the  evening's  audience  began  to  climb  the 
well-worn  steps,  studied  the  broad  displays  of  posters, 
besieged  the  cavernous  entrance  to  the  fourth  tier,  or 
simply  loafed  in  every-body's  way.  Up  and  down  the 
street  flamed  strong-smelling  lamps  of  turpentine,  light- 
ing the  contents  of  the  cheap  stands,  each  one  a  centre 
of  vociferous  and  eager  trade.  After  a  few  minutes 
spent  in  the  theatre  to  secure  places  where  we  could  see 
the  house  to  good  advantage,  we  found,  when  we  came 
out,  that  the  roar  of  the  street  was  perceptibly  increased. 
The  crowd  had  thickened,  and  the  motion  and  confusion 
were  greater.  As  we  stood  on  the  theatre  steps  regard- 
ing the  liveliness  of  the  scene,  half  a  dozen  fire-engines 
came  by  with  the  usual  fierce  clamor  and  headlong  rush. 
If  any  thing  were  needed  to  complete  the  picture  it  was 
precisely  this  strong  "effect"  of  the  engines  dashing 
through  the  crowded,  gleaming  street,  amid  the  screams 
of  women  and  the  hoarse  shouts  of  boys. 

We  strolled  up  the  street,  past  pungent  odors,  past 
fruit  stalls  and  stands  of  the  roast-chestnut  men,  past 
shining  shows  of  cutlery  and  spreads  of  trichinosial 
bologna    carved    to   slabs   of   mottled   salmon-pink,    past 


358  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

drinking  shops  innumerable  (now  saloons — Credat  Judaus 
Ape/la),  "Cheap  Johns  "  and  policy-shops,  pawnbrokers 
and  cigar  shops,  displays  of  Bowery  millinery  and  faded 
dry  goods;  until  we  came  to  a  "  Cheap  John  "  of  unusual 
glare  and  pretension.  "Walk  in,  gentlemen,"  he  cried, 
with  swift  and  easy  hospitality;  "walk  in  and  seethe 
only  truly  American  and  great  Cheap  John,  the  bene- 
factor of  his  country,  the  George  Peabody  of  New  York." 
This  could  not  be  resisted,  so  we  walked  in.  The  Cheap 
John  cried  his  wares  in  a  large  high  room  hung  about 
with  an  incongruous  miscellany  of  goods,  filled  up  across 
one  end  with  much  appearance  of  merchandise  in  bulk, 
with  shelving  along  one  side,  in  front  of  which  was  a 
counter  enclosing  a  high  platform  upon  which  the  Cheap 
John  walked  up  and  down,  incessantly  declaiming  to  a 
dense  crowd.  He  was  a  short,  stout  fellow,  unmistaka- 
bly "  truly  American  "  ;  as  unmistakably  of  the  "  bummer  " 
class;  with  a  great  quantity  of  studied  stock  expressions, 
some  vulgar,  but  all  droll,  besides  not  a  little  ready  wit 
of  the  flash  sort.  It  was  give  and  take  between  him  and 
his  audience,  the  crowd  commonly  getting  the  worst  of 
it.  "Now,  gentlemen,"  said  the  new  Peabody,  "the 
sacrifice  will  proceed.  Who  gives  two  dollars  for  a 
superb  eight-bladed  pocket-knife,  the  handle  made  of 
true  father-of-pearl,  with  ends  of  solid  silver  an  inch 
long  ?     Show  me  the  man  who  gives   it,  and   1   will   show 

you  a fool.      Why,  we  only  ask  a  dollar  and  a  half — 

examine  the  finish  closely  " — here  he  made  a  feint  to 
throw  the  opened  knife  among  the  crowd,  whereupon 
some  dodged.  "Why,  you  needn't  dodge,"  he  said; 
"these  knives  are  regular  life-preservers,  couldn't  kill  a 
man  with  one  of  them  in  the  most  savage  and  blood- 
thirsty fury;  no  chance  of  cutting  your  fingers  with  these 
knives — nice  reliable  family  article — who'll  buy?  Who'll 
buy  a  knife  with  all  the  merits  of  a  knife  and  none  of  the 
failin's,  such  as  accidentally  cuttin' people.     I  low  much  ?" 


ISAAC    L.    VARIAN,   MAYOR  359 

I  offered  fifty  cents.  "  Sold  again  !  "  cried  the  Cheap  John 
with  dire  emphasis,  and  every-body  laughed. 

An  invoice  of  wonderful  stockings  followed,  "  made  in 
England  for  the  Emperor  of  Siam,  and  stolen  from  his 
caravan  at  great  risk,"  by  agents  of  the  Cheap  John.  They 
were  started  at  two  dollars  for  four  pairs,  and  sold  in 
great  quantities  at  the  rate  of  four  pairs  for  fifty  cents. 
Then  came  a  sale  of  "changeable  tarpaulin";  there 
seemed  to  me  to  be  genius  in  the  idea  of  a  changeable 
tarpaulin.  Some  Germans  coming  in,  and  engaging  in  the 
talk  in  an  innocent  fashion,  were  badgered  in  bad  Ger- 
man by  the  salesman,  and  roundly  abused  in  English,  of 
which  they  knew  scarce  any  thing.  "  You  wonder  how 
we  can  sell  so  low,"  said  the  Cheap  John.  "  Why,  excep- 
tin'  rent,  nothin'  costs  us  any  thin'  besides  paper.  Paper 
costs  enormous,  'cause  that's  cash,  and  we  use  up  lots  of 
it  for  wrappers.  But  the  things  we  wrap  up,  them  we 
never  buy  on  less  than  four  months,  and  when  the  four 
months  have  passed,  so  have  we — we  have  passed  on. 
That's  how  we  can  sell  so  low,  and  save  your  money — be 
your  best  benefactors — 'do  good  by  stealth,'  as  the  poet 
says.  Don't  go,  gentlemen,  going  to  have  a  free  lunch 
at  half-past  ten  [it  was  then  about  half-past  seven] ;  just 
brought  in  another  dog  for  the  soup.  Look  out  for  your 
watches,  and  pass  your  money  right  in  here  for  safe- 
keepin'.     There's  a  pickpocket  just  come  in." 

So  there  was,  sure  enough,  and  a  policeman  led  him 
away.  When  we  left — not  with  a  policeman — the  orator 
was  just  assuring  his  public  that  his  was  "a  great  chari- 
table enterprise,  the  entire  proceeds  to  be  given  to  the 
poor."  I  have  made  selections  from  the  Cheap  John's 
eloquence;  to  report  him  at  length  would  be  to  display 
his  wit  to  greater  advantage;  but  a  report  at  length 
would  involve  corresponding  increase  of  another  dimen- 
sion, and  become  too  broad  for  family  reading. 

Coming  down   the    Bowery,  which    had  become  a  very 


36b  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

Babel,  we  went  into  the  Atlantic  Garden,  a  vast  beer- 
hall,  crowded  as  we  entered,  though  it  was  yet  early, 
with  a  company  of  all  ages  and  both  sexes.  Some  had 
made  family  parties  and  were  enjoying  meals  of  that  sort 
that  only  German  digestion  can  assimilate;  some  sat 
moody  over  solitary  mugs,  and  there  were  many  couples 
of  men  and  women,  and  knots  of  men.  Few  Americans 
were  in  the  company,  which  was  nearly  pure  German. 
There  were  dense  clouds  of  tobacco-smoke,  and  hurry  of 
waiters,  and  banging  of  glasses,  and  calling  for  beer, 
but  no  rowdyism;  rarely  are  there  rows  at  the  German 
places  of  resort,  so  they  are  less  interesting  than  they 
might  be  to  the  student  of  humanity. 

It  was  well  past  the  time  of  beginning  when  we 
returned  to  the  Old  Bowery  Theatre,  and  crossing  the 
worn  and  broken  tiles  of  the  vestibule  passed  within  the 
"warm  precincts  "of  the  auditorium,  captured  a  fugacious 
usher,  and  were  conducted  to  our  allotted  quarter.  The 
action  of  the  play  already  had  begun  to  involve  its 
characters  in  mysteries  inexplicable  by  the  unassisted 
intellect.  Issuing  forth  in  quest  of  a  house-bill,  I  was 
informed  that  they  were  all  distributed.  Enquiring  then 
what  was  the  title  and  drift  of  the  drama,  the  humorous 
usher  replied  that  he  was  blest  if  he  knew.  By  dint  of 
close  application  and  much  analogy,  we  determined  that 
we  were  witnessing  a  version  of  the  stock  Irish  play,  in 
which  a  virtuous  peasant-girl,  and  a  high-minded  patriot 
with  knee-breeches  and  a  brogue  and  an  illicit  whiskey- 
still,  utterly  expose  and  confound  a  number  of  designing 
dukes,  lords,  etc.,  who  were  assisted  by  a  numerous 
family  of  murderers. 

One  feature  of  the  play  was  the  worn  device  of  con- 
founding the  real  action  with  imaginary  action;  the  first 
act  being  of  real  life,  and  inducing  the  dream,  which 
thereupon  carried  forward  the  story  through  complica- 
tions and  woful   horrors  until  a  happy  waking  in  the  last 


ISAAC    L.    VARIAN,    MAYOR  361 

scene  of  the  fourth  act  rewarded  the  virtue  that  had 
never  been  tempted,  and  utterly  blasted  the  plotting  vice 
that  never  had  existed.  The  incidents  were  many  and 
exciting.  The  scene  where  the  midnight  murderers 
prepared  a  grave  for  their  coming  victim  (an  afflicted  lady 
who  is  to  be  deserted  by  her  husband  at  this  spot),  and 
are  affrighted  at  their  noisome  task  by  anguishing 
groans  of  the  patriot,  mourning  the  lady's  unfaithfulness 
to  him,  as  he  distils  unlawful  potheen  among  the  rocks 
overhead,  was  chilling  in  its  awful  gloom;  while  nothing 
could  be  finer  than  the  manner  in  which  the  patriot,  dis- 
interestedly suffering  his  pots  to  boil  over,  came  flying  to 
the  rescue  of  innocence  over  frightful  pasteboard  preci- 
pices and  down  deep  descents  of  lumber,  engaging  the 
whole  band  of  felons  at  once.  "The  combat  deepens," 
thwack  go  the  stuffed  clubs,  plunge  the  impossible  dag- 
gers; the  wounded  ruffians  reel  and  fall  and  struggle  up 
again  knee-high,  discharging  dreadful  cuts  at  the  legs  of 
the  deliverer.  Those  yet  unhurt  close  in  upon  him,  but 
only  rip  his  machine-sewed  shirt,  receiving  in  return 
such  fierce  and  telling  blows  that  life  departs  from 
each  in  turn,  till  triumphant  virtue  takes  one  shuddering 
glance  at  success  and  faints  in  an  agony  of  perspiration 
across  the  long-since-swooning  body  of  the  destined 
victim. 

Summary  of  six  corpses  and  quasi-corpses  in  painful 
attitudes — sudden  effect  of  lime-light,  and  apparition  of 
constabulary  and  red-coats  (too  late,  as  usual),  as  "  the 
great  green  curtain  fell  on  all,"  amid  deafening  shouts  of 
"  Hi  !  "  "  That's  too  thin  !  "  and  "  Cheese  it  !  "  from  pit 
to  fourth  tier. 

We  missed  many  of  the  points  of  this  great  drama,  for 
the  house  was  a  study  more  interesting  than  the  stage. 
We  idled  about  somewhat,  behind  the  seats  of  the 
balcony,  with  audible  steps  among  thick-strewn  peanut- 
shells.      In   the   front   lobby  we  met  a  man  whom  some- 


362  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

body  had  just  "gone  through,"  the  check-taker  and 
usher  calmly  comparing  guesses  concerning  the  offender. 
Clambering  to  the  mephitic  fourth  tier,  we  watched,  as 
long  as  untrained  lungs  could  last  in  that  atmosphere,  the 
crowd  of  rough  youth  there  compacted.  Plenty  of 
native  sharpness  was  noticeable  in  speech  and  looks 
among  those  skyward  seats,  which  doubtless  contained 
also  much  native  good,  some  of  which  would  work  itself 
clear  in  time  and  do  something  of  account  in  the  world; 
but  the  main  expression  of  that  crowd  was  of  nursing 
vulgarity  and  vice,  with  an  indescribable  air  of  sordid 
ignorance  and  brutal,  fierce  impatience  of  all  lovely, 
graceful,  delicate  things. 

Though  a  promenade  was  worth  making,  the  house 
could  be  best  studied  from  our  box.  The  whole  effect 
was  more  interesting  than  any  detached  portions,  and 
this  was  all  before  us— the  pit  and  first  tier  below;  the 
second  tier  meeting  the  box  exactly  at  our  level;  over- 
head, the  third  tier,  its  thronging  faces  full  in  the  flame 
of  the  gas;  and,  darkly  above,  the  true  Olympus  of  the 
gallery  gods.  There  were  no  vacant  seats.  Steadily 
sloping  upward  from  the  footlights  was  lifted,  row  above 
row,  the  close-packed,  stamping,  shrieking,  cat-calling, 
true  Bowery  crowd.  The  house  contained  a  good 
number  of  women,  rough-clad  but  of  decent  looks,  some 
mothers  of  families  with  the  families  small  and  great  to- 
gether, and  a  few  "children  in  arms,"  which  the  Bowery 
rules  did  not  forbid.  I  saw  but  two  gloved  women  in 
the  audience;  they,  by  force  of  their  attire  I  suppose, 
felt  a  certain  application  of  the  saying,  noblesse  oblige, 
since  they  went  much  out  of  their  way  to  be  agreeable 
to  us,  and  were  very  courteous  and  hospitably  minded 
indeed. 

Besides  the  proper  and  prevailing  peanut,  the  specta- 
tors refreshed  themselves  with  a  great  variety  of  bodily 
nutriment.      Ham  sandwich  and  sausage  seemed   to  have 


ISAAC    L.    VARIAN,    MAYOR  363 

precedence,  being  both  portable  and  nourishing,  but 
pork  chops  also  were  prominent,  receiving  the  undivided 
attention  of  a  large  family  party  in  the  second  tier,  the 
members  of  which  consumed  chops  with  a  noble  persist- 
ence through  all  the  intermissions  ;  holding  the  small 
end  of  the  bone  in  the  hand  and  working  downward  from 
the  meaty  portion.  The  denuded  bones  were  most  of 
them  playfully  shied  at  the  heads  of  acquaintances  in  the 
pit;  if  you  never  have  seen  it  done,  you  can  hardly  fancy 
how  well  you  can  telegraph  with  pork-bones  when  the  aim 
is  sure  ;  and  if  you  hit  the  wrong  man,  you  have  only  to 
look  innocent  and  unconscious. 

The  Bowery  audience  was  by  no  means  content  with 
inarticulate  noise;  besides  the  time-honored,  technical 
modes  of  encouraging  the  players,  there  was  full  and 
free  communication  in  speech,  sometimes  a  set  colloquy 
with  the  actors — which  the  audience  counted  on,  and 
waited  for  with  great  expectancy.  This  the  actors  well 
understood,  and  when  the  Irish  patriot  had  a  line  of 
particularly  overpowering  moral  import,  his  sure  way  to 
make  a  point  with  it  was  to  come  down  to  the  front, 
declaim  it  vociferously,  and  end  by  saying  "  Is  that  so, 
boys?"  or  "Don't  you,  boys?"  or  something  of  the 
kind,  and  then  the  acclaim  and  outcry  were  so  loud  and 
long  that  all  babies  in  the  house  cried  out  the  moment 
they  could  get  a  chance  to  be  heard,  which  caused 
another  terrible  din,  with  uncomplimentary  remarks 
about  the  infants,  and  "Cheese  it!"  again — always  this 
cry,  which,  though  it  be,  as  I  have  learned,  a  highly  plastic 
expression,  yet,  from  the  variety  of  its  frequent  applica- 
tion during  the  evening,  must  have  come  in  sometimes 
with  great  irrelevance. 

The  second  play  was  a  burlesque  of  "  Don  Giovanni," 
with  Leporello  s  part  given  to  the  clown,  an  amusing 
fellow  and  clever  acrobat.  The  chief  part  of  the  story 
was  preserved,   though  there  were  many  cuts  and  not  a 


364  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

few  additions.  The  players  earned  their  money.  The 
orchestra  never  ceased  its  swift,  lilting  measures,  as 
though  for  some  endless,  preternaturally  quick  quadrille, 
and  the  action  of  the  stage  was  allowed  no  resting-place 
until  the  whole  was  done;  so,  notwithstanding  great  lack 
of  appliances  by  way  of  machinery  for  transformations 
and  the  like,  the  thing  went  well  by  virtue  of  constant 
action  and  the  utmost  possible  rapidity.  Shipwreck  gave 
the  clown  opportunity  for  an  extravagant  swimming- 
scene,  and  when  the  Don  kicked  him  out  of  a  two-story 
window,  his  descent,  clinging  to  the  top  of  a  ladder,  and 
describing  a  great  arc  that  landed  him  down  by  the  foot- 
lights, was  very  skilfully  made.  The  cream  of  the  play 
was  thought  to  be  in  the  banqueting-scene,  where  the 
clown  and  an  absurd  old  Irishwoman  wrangled  over  a 
wash-bowl  full  of  macaroni.  The  by-play  of  this  scene  is 
not  to  be  here  reported,  though  it  pleased  the  audience 
greatly.  Scarce  any  of  the  humor  was  more  relished  by 
most  of  the  spectators  than  the  exquisite  device  of  throw- 
ing the  macaroni  at  the  orchestra-players,  and  finally  at 
the  "pay-people"  in  the  pit.  It  cannot  be  pleasant  to 
be  wiped  across  the  face  with  a  string  of  wet  macaroni, 
and  probably  those  who  were  thus  distinguished  did  not 
enjoy  it,  but  all  the  others  did,  and  the  upper  tiers 
howled  approbation  like  a  great  company  of  demoniacs. 
The  statue  came  for  the  Don  at  last,  and  the  clown  was  too 
well  frightened  to  throw  macaroni  then,  so  the  hero  went 
for  his  waiting  gin-and-water,  with  profuse  accompani- 
ment of  red  devils  and  penny  fire-works.  When  we  came 
away  at  a  quarter  before  twelve,  the  third  piece,  "  The 
Babes  in  the  Wood,"  was  beginning,  and  the  ridiculous 
heavy  villains  were  just  warming  to  their  fiendish 
work. 

Since  that  evening  young  men  have  grown  old,  but 
still  I  have  a  clear  image  of  the  old  theatre;  the  crowd, 
the   air,    the    crackling    peanuts    underfoot,    the   strayed 


ISAAC    L.    VARIAN,    MAYOR  365 

reveller  with  empty  pocket,  the  chops  and  sandwiches, 
the  courteous  gloved  young  women,  the  raging  fourth 
tier,  and  eager,  bent  looks  of  the  rough  faces  ;  the  cease- 
less lilt  and  drone  of  the  music  sounds  in  my  ears  (a  dab 
of  macaroni  on  the  neck  of  the  contrabass).  I  hear  the 
swish  of  the  Don's  rapier  and  the  thump  of  the  clown's 
posteriors  on  the  stage  ;  the  amusing  strifes  and  murders 
take  place  again,  and  the  "very  tragical  mirth."  Indeed 
the  single  sensation  of  strangeness  that  comes  from  the 
absence  of  all  familiar  faces  from  among  so  many  of 
one's  own  townspeople,  was  alone  almost  worth  seeking. 

Tryon  Row,  subsequently  closed,  ran  in  front  of  the 
Staats  Zeitung  Building  from  Chatham  to  Cross  (now 
Park)  Street.  Two  fire-engines  and  a  hook-and-ladder 
company  were  located  upon  it. 

Captain  Schinley,  R.  A.,  who  was  in  service  at 
Waterloo,  and  was  held  to  be  over  fifty  years  of  age, 
with  the  connivance  of  the  mistress  of  a  young  ladies' 
boarding-school  in  this  city,  married  one  of  the  pupils, 
not  exceeding  sixteen  years  of  age,  an  heiress  from 
Pittsburgh  and  of  great  wealth.  The  relative  ages  of  the 
parties,  the  action  of  the  schoolmistress,  the  great 
wealth  of  the  bride,  and  the  furtive  manner  in  which  the 
marriage  was  solemnized  (if  the  word  is  applicable)  by  a 
police  officer,  with  very  restricted  magisterial  duties, 
contrived  to  arouse  the  animadvertence  of  the  relatives 
of  the  bride  and  the  entire  community.  Bennett  of  the 
Herald  for  a  long  time  after  frequently  asked  "Who 
married  Captain  Schinley?"  until  the  delinquent  was 
goaded  into  responsive  action  and  the  question  ceased. 

The  premises  on  Fifth  Avenue  between  Twenty-third 
and  Twenty-fourth  streets  were  occupied  by  Corporal 
Thompson  as  a  well-known  and  popular  way-side  house 
of  entertainment,  who  continued  there  for  several  years  ; 
the  location  being  subsequently  occupied  by  Franconi's 
Hippodrome  (see   1853)  and  in  1858  by  the  Fifth  Avenue 


366 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


Hotel.  This  was  the  stopping  place  of  pedestrians 
or  loungers.  Gramercy  Park,  although  designed  several 
years  earlier,  was  not  laid  out  nor  improved  before  this 
year.  This  pretty  place  owes  its  existence  to  the  munifi- 
cence of  the  late  Samuel  B.  Ruggles. 


CORPORAL  THOMPSON'S,    BROADWAY,  SITE  OF  FIFTH 
AVENUE  HOTEL 


CHAPTER    XVII I 
1841. — ISAAC    L.     VARIAN    AND    ROBERT    H.    MORRIS,    MAYORS 

January  30,  there  was  given  at  the  City  Hotel  a  ball 
which  was  known  as  the  "Young  Men's,"  from  the  cir- 
cumstance that  fathers  of  families  were  not  permitted  to 
subscribe  to  its  cost.  It  was,  in  fact,  a  renewal  of  the 
"City  Assemblies"  held  at  the  same  place  in  previous 
years,  which  were  not  only  well  and  fashionably  patron- 
ized but  were  the  delight  of  all  who  were  enabled  to 
attend. 

February  23,  the  ordinance  regulating  the  fares  of 
cabs,  which  had  but  lately  been  introduced,  for  one- 
horse  cabs,  two-seated,  with  a  door  in  the  rear,  was 
enacted  and  approved.  For  one  passenger  one  mile, 
twenty-five  cents;  for  two,  an  addition  of  twelve  and  one- 
half  cents;  for  one  hour  with  privilege  of  two  persons 
stopping  at  shops,  etc.,  fifty  cents  for  the  first  hour, 
and  thirty-one  and  one-half  cents  after  that.  To  Kings- 
bridge  and   back,  all   day,  $3.50. 

March  1,  Power's  last  engagement.  He  last  appeared 
March  9,  and  sailed  on  the  10th  by  the  luckless  steamer 
President,  never  reaching  any  earthly  port. 

March  11,  the  Messrs.  (Hover  of  this  city  con- 
structed, under  the  design  of  Captain  Ericsson,  an 
auxiliary  screw  propeller  bark,  the  Clarion,  and  upon 
a  trial  of  her  speed  she  attained  seven  and  one-half  miles 
per  hour;  which  Commodore  R.  F.  Stockton  held  to  be 
such  a  success  that  he  addressed  the  Secretary  of  the 
Navy,  recommending  the  introduction  of  such  a  class 
of  vessels  in  the  Navy;  which  recommendation,  coupled 


368  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

with  the  record  here  given,  led  to  the  construction  of 
the  steamer  Princetoji  by  the  department. 

April  3,  Horace  Greeley  issued  The  Log  Cabin  as 
a  weekly  paper  from  No.  30  Ann  Street,  which  had  been 
extensively  circulated  for  six  months  as  a  campaign 
paper  in  the  previous  year. 

As  an  editor,  Horace  Greeley  was  more  generally 
known  than  any  other;  not  only  in  this  city, but  through- 
out the  United  States.  He  was  a  powerful  writer,  bold 
and  influential.  His  views  on  national  politics  were  too 
deep  and  expansive  to  be  restricted  by  a  party  and  its 
expediencies. 

Thus,  previous  to  i860,  he  published  and  maintained 
that,  "We  have  repeatedly  said,  and  we  once  more 
insist,  '  that  the  great  principle  embodied  by  Jefferson, 
that  Governments  derive  their  power  from  the  consent 
of  the  governed,  is  sound  and  just;  and  that,  if  the  Slave 
States,  or  the  Gulf  States  only,  choose  to  form  an  inde- 
pendent nation,  they  have  a  clear  moral  right  to  do  so.' 
We  have  never  said,  nor  intimated,  that  this  is  a  right  to 
be  claimed  in  a  freak  or  a  pet.  We  do  not  believe — we 
have  never  maintained — that  a  State  might  break  out  of 
the  Union  like  a  bull  from  a  pasture — that  one  State,  or 
ten  States  may;  but  we  have  said,  and  still  maintain, 
that,  provided  the  Cotton  States  have  fully  and  defini- 
tively made  up  their  minds  to  go  by  themselves,  there  is 
no  need  of  fighting  about  it.  Whenever  it  shall  be  clear 
that  the  great  body  of  the  Southern  people  have  become 
conclusively  alienated  from  the  Union,  and  anxious  to 
escape  from  it,  we  will  do  our  best  to  forward  their 
views."  Inaspiritof  vaticination  he  wrote:  "One  thing 
has  been  settled  by  the  experience  of  the  last  twenty 
years,  and  that  is  the  moral  impossibility  of  good  munici- 
pal rule  under  the  sway  of  any  political  party.  Either 
the  citizens  who  mainly  pay  the  taxes  must  come  to- 
gether and  resolve  to  unite,  without  distinction  of  party, 


ISAAC    L.    VARIAN,    MAYOR 


369 


in  support  of  the  honest,  capable  men,  for  responsible 
places  in  the  muncipality,  or  they  must  submit  to  be 
ruled  by  peculators  and  sharpers  leagued  with  miscreants 
and  ruffians.     There  is  just  this  choice  open  to  them." 

In  the  interim,  and  with  the  assistance  of  a  loan  of 
money  from  a  friend,  the  publishing  of  the  New  York 
Tribune  progressed  ;    the   paper  appeared  on  the  10th  of 


T^ir^^J^T^ilUiJ^i      ^.MU^iU->MtimnSfjj^^-^-~-^ 


FIRST   TAMMANY    WIGWAM.   CORNER    NASSAU    AND   SPRUCE  STREETS,    1798 


April,  at  one  cent  per  copy,  and  with  the  following 
introduction: 

"  The  Tribune,  as  its  name  imports,  will  labor  to 
advance  the  interests  of  the  People,  and  to  promote  their 
Moral,  Social,  and  Political  well-being.  The  immoral 
and  degrading  Police  Reports,  Advertisements,  and  other 
matter  which  have  been  allowed  to  disgrace  the  columns 
of  our  leading  Penny  (cent)  Papers  will  be  carefully 
excluded  from  this,  and  no  exertion  spared  to  render  it 
worthy  of  the  hearty  approval  of  the  virtuous  and  refined, 
and  a  welcome  visitant  at  the  family  fireside."  It  had  an 
edition  of  five  thousand  copies,  and  Greeley  reported, 
"We  found  some  difficulty  in  giving  them  away." 

Chas.  A.  Dana  and  Henry  J.  Raymond  were  employed 


370  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

by  the  Tribune,  the  former  at  fourteen  dollars  and  the 
latter  at  eight  dollars  per  week. 

A  steam  fire-engine  for  the  city  was  constructed  by 
Paul  Hodge  &  Co.,  but  from  an  unwillingness  on  the 
part  of  the  members  of  the  Fire  Department  to  adopt  it, 
and  from  its  not  being  a  very  decided  success,  it  was  not 
utilized. 

Much  financial  distress  was  felt  during  this  year;  con- 
fidence being  undermined  by  renewed  suspension  of  the 
banks  in  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  etc.  A  further  decline 
occurred  in  most  of  the  favorite  securities,  the  market 
value  of  which  in  this  year  was  in  many  instances  seventy 
per  cent,  less  than  the  prices  of  1838. 

In  March  the  ex-President,  Martin  Van  Buren,  dis- 
placed by  the  inauguration  of  General  Harrison,  visited 
New  York  on  his  way  to  retirement,  being  reeeived  by 
a  large  company  of  citizens,  and  welcomed  in  a  public 
address.  On  April  5,  news  was  received  of  the  death 
after  very  brief  illness  of  General  Harrison,  the  first 
President  who  had  died  in  office.  On  receipt  of  this 
intelligence  the  city  displayed  all  the  signs  of  mourning, 
and  observed  with  great  solemnity  the  day  of  the  fu- 
neral at  Washington,  business   being  suspended    at  noon. 

April  7,  Mme.  Restell,  who  later  acquired  a  very 
unsavory  reputation,  was  arraigned  for  the  first  time  in 
Court  under  a  charge  of  malpractice. 

April  10  commemorative  exercises  were  performed 
under  direction  of  the  city  authorities,  most  of  whom 
had  been  political  opponents  of  the  deceased  Pres- 
ident. Business  was  totally  suspended  on  this  day, 
the  whole  city  was  draped  in  black,  and  to  the  sound  of 
minute-guns  and  tolling  bells  a  vast  procession  (estimated 
to  contain  thirty  thousand  persons)  moved  through  a 
storm  of  snow  and  rain  from  the  City  Hall  Park  by  way 
of  East  Broadway,  Grand  Street,  and  the  Bowery  to 
Union  Square,   and  then    down    Broadway  to    the    Park 


ISAAC    L.    VARIAN,    MAYOR  37 1 

again.  The  streets  were  thronged  throughout  the  route, 
in  spite  of  the  weather,  and  the  demonstration  was  the 
most  impressive  the  city  had  ever  witnessed. 

April  13,  Wm.  E.  Burton,  the  comedian,  assumed 
management  of  the  National  Theatre,  opening  with  the 
spectacle  of  the  "  Naiad  Queen."  Miss  Josephine  Shaw, 
afterward  Mrs.  John  Hoey,  long  leading  lady  at  Wal- 
lack's,  was  of  Burton's  company  at  this  time.  Later,  she 
was  attached  to  Burton's  Theatre,  but  retired  from  the 
stage  upon  her  marriage  in  185 1.  Early  in  1854,  how- 
ever, she  reappeared  at  Wallack's. 

May,  Booth  appeared  at  the  National  for  three  nights; 
on  the  29th  the  house  was  burned,  with  all  its  contents. 
An  incendiary  fire  was  discovered  at  5  p.  m.,  and,  as  it 
was  believed,  was  extinguished.  After  the  evening  per- 
formance Burton  and  others  made  a  search  of  the  house 
for  the  sake  of  security,  discovering  nothing  amiss;  yet, 
toward  seven  in  the  morning,  fire  again  broke  out  and 
almost  at  once  grew  beyond  control. 

June  29,  a  vote  was  taken  in  the  Board  of  Aldermen 
on  the  resolution  of  a  committee  to  abolish  the  permits 
for  the  erection  of  booths  around  City  Hall  Park  on 
the  afternoon  preceding  the  Fourth  of  July,  which  was 
negatived,  and  the  erection  of  booths  continued  for  a 
few  years  afterward.  The  existence  of  them,  the  peculiar 
character  of  their  proprietors,  and  of  the  refreshments 
furnished,  with  the  crowds  that  visited  them,  elicited 
the  general  remark  upon  their  cessation,  "  The  Fourth 
of  July  passed  away  when  the  booths  around  City  Hall 
Park  were  taken  away." 

This  anniversary  was  very  differently  observed  at  this 
period  from  the  custom  of  a  few  years  later.  Thus,  our 
youthful  citizens  availed  themselves  of  every  opportu- 
nity to  leave  the  city,  and  every  countryman  within  a 
practicable  distance  of  reaching  it  came  with  his  family 
to  enjoy  the  sights  at  the  booths  and   the  feu  de  joie  of 


372  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

the  military  in  the  Park,  drink  egg  flip  or  spruce  beer 
and  suck  oranges. 

Fanny  Elssler,  the  danseuse,  returned  to  the  Park 
Theatre  in  June,  during  a  brief  summer  season,  where 
she  repeated  her  former  success,  though  by  this  time 
some  of  the  newspapers  had  adopted  a  rebuking  tone 
toward  the  ballet  and  its  supporters.  We  add  here  the 
fact  that  Elssler  during  her  stay  in  America  gave  a  con- 
siderable  sum  out  of  her  receipts  in  aid  of  the  Bunker 
Hill  Monument  enterprise,  which  had  languished  since 
1825,  and  with  her  aid  the  Bostonians  completed  the 
structure,  which  was  dedicated  in  1843.  Hence  it  was 
said  that  she  ''danced  the  top  stone  on  to  Bunker  Hill 
Monument.  "  It  is  easy  to  fancy  that  box-office  consider- 
ations prompted  her  action,  but  Elssler  was  probably  as 
free  from  the  advertising  taint  as  is  possible  in  the  case 
of  any  public  performer. 

June  3  the  corner-stone  of  the  new  Trinity  Church 
was  laid. 

July,  a  general  bankrupt  law  was  enacted  by  Congress. 
By  this  time  remarkable  increase  in  foreign  immigration 
had  occurred;  the  influx  being  only  80,077  in  the  period 
of  1820-29,  but  amounting  for  the  years  1830-39  to 
343,517,  including  158,672  of  Irish.  One  result  of  this 
was  the  rise  of  the  Native-American  party,  which  in  1841 
nominated  its  first  candidate  for  Mayor  in  the  person  of 
S.  F.  B.  Morse,  who  received,  however,  but  77  votes. 

This  year  was  also  the  date  of  a  very  considerable 
manifestation  on  the  part  of  the  teetotallers,  or  complete 
abstainers  from  intoxicating  drink. 

July  12,  Dr.  William  James  Macneven,  a  well-known 
citizen,  died.  In  August  died  Mr.  Henry  Brevoort, 
aged  ninety-four.  Broadway  runs  through  the  "farm" 
on  which  he  lived,  and  which  he  bought  for  less  than  the 
present  value  of  a  single  front  foot  of  any  lot  now  con- 
tained within  its  bounds. 


ROBERT    H.     MORRIS,    MAYOR 


373 


August  28,  August  Belmont  and  Mr.  Heyward  of 
South  Carolina,  who  had  had  an  altercation  at  Niblo's 
Garden  a  few  nights  previous,  met  at  Elkhorn,  Md.,  and 
the  former  was  seriously  wounded. 

August  31,  a  meeting  of  citizens  in  favor  of  a  repeal 
of  the  Bankrupt  Law  was  called,  at  which  Samuel  J. 
Tilden  and  Nelson  J.  Waterbury  were  secretaries,  and 
the  names  of  such  men  as  Stephen  Allen,  Campbell  P. 
White,  David  Bryson,  and  John  T.  Brady  were  appended 
to  the  call. 

August  2i,   died    Gideon    Lee,    Mayor    of    the  city    in 

1833-34. 

September  5,  the  favorite  actor  Barnes,  who  died  at 
Halifax  on  20th  ultimo,  was  buried,  amid  a  great  com- 
pany of  sympathizing  spectators.  October  11,  "London 
Assurance "  was  given  for  the  first  time  in  America, 
Placide  playing  Sir  Harcourt  Courtly,  and  Charlotte 
Cushman,  Lady   Gay  Spanker,  in   which  part   she  made  a 


BLOCK    HOUSE,   ONE    HUNDRED   AND  TWENTY-THIRD  STREET, 
BETWEEN    NIMH   AND  TENTH   AVENUES 


374  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

great  hit.      November   29,  Mrs.  Barnes  retired  from   the 
stage  after  twenty-five  years  of  service. 

In  September  the  New  York  and  Erie  Railroad  was 
opened  from  its  original  terminus  at  Piermont  on  the 
Hudson  River  to  Goshen,  Orange  County,  and  a  great 
company  made  an  excursion  over  the  line. 

September  19,  a  vessel  bound  for  New  Orleans  was 
unexpectedly  delayed  after  receiving  the  bulk  of  her 
cargo,  and  before  the  final  closing  of  the  hatches  the 
mate  became  aware  of  noisome  effluvia  in  the  vicinity  of 
a  box,  which  arousing  his  suspicion,  he  opened  it,  ex- 
posing detached  portions  of  a  human  body,  which  was 
subsequently  ascertained  to  be  that  of  Samuel  Adams.  It 
had  been  dismembered,  salted,  boxed,  addressed,  and 
shipped  to  a  fictitious  address  in  St.  Louis  via  New 
Orleans. 

In  the  investigation  instituted  by  the  police  it  was 
learned  that  an  occupant  of  an  office  adjoining  that  of 
Samuel  Colt  in  Broadway  became  suspicious  of  Colt,  and 
looking  through  the  keyhole  of  the  door  between  their 
offices,  saw  him  wiping  blood  from  the  floor;  which  fact 
being  communicated  to  the  police,  Colt  was  arrested, 
tried,  convicted,  and  condemned. 

The  Board  of  Assistant  Aldermen  passed  a  resolution 
that  a  roadway,  twenty-five  feet  in  width,  should  be 
opened  in  Ninth  Avenue  from  Forty-second  Street  to 
its  junction  with  Bloomingdale  Road  (Broadway  and 
Sixty-fourth  Street)  at  a  cost  not  to  exceed  two  thousand 
dollars,  which  the  Mayor  declared  to  be  quite  unnec- 
essary, as  Eighth  and  Tenth  avenues  were  opened.  By 
being  opened,  the  reader  is  informed  that  they  were 
country  roads. 

A  Miss  Lucretia  Mott,  who  was  a  very  popular  lecturer 
on  woman's  rights,  announced  that  women  were  capable 
and  worthy  of  occupying  the  same  situations  as  men. 

There  was  much  complaint  at   this  time   regarding  the 


ROBERT    H.    MORRIS,    MAYOR  375 

delivery  of  the  mails,  and  there  was  published  in  a 
Buffalo '  paper  a  request  by  the  editor  that  any  pas- 
senger, by  stage  or  railroad,  who  had  any  newspapers 
with  him  and  had  no  further  use  for  them  for  two  or 
three  days,  would  please  to  send  them  to  its  office  in 
order  that  it  might  be  enabled  to  give  the  news  to  the 
public. 

October  29  a  meeting  of  Roman  Catholics  was  held 
under  the  chairmanship  of  Bishop  Hughes,  the  object 
of  which  was  to  obtain  a  portion  of  the  public  school 
fund  for  the  benefit  of  their  church;  the  attendants 
at  the  meeting  being  urged  to  vote  only  for  candidates 
pledged  to  that  course.  This  much  increased  the  general 
feeling  of  alarm  among  our  citizens  which  had  been 
excited  by  former  movements  in   the   same  direction. 

The  progress  of  the  uptown  movement  appears  in  the 
consecration  in  November  of  the  present  Church  of  the 
Ascension,  at  Fifth  Avenue  and  Tenth  Street;  the  former 
church  of  this  congregation  having  been  in  Canal  Street. 

In  November  the  new  Merchants'  Exchange  (the  pres- 
ent Custom  House)  was  opened,  the  cost  of  building  and 
ground  being  about  two  millions. 

November  26,  the  Prince  de  Joinville  having  ar- 
rived here  on  the  15th  of  September  in  command  of 
the  frigate  La  Belle  Poule,  and  being  at  this  time  a 
visitor  in  New  York,  a  ball  was  given  in  his  honor  by  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Valentine  Mott,  whose  fine  house  was  filled  with 
the  best  of  our  society.  A  dinner  was  given  to  the 
Prince  at  the  Astor  House  by  the  City  authorities  on 
the  next  day. 

It  was  held  to  be  an  exceptional  one,  inasmuch  as  the 
great  number  of  dignitaries,  officers  of  the  Army  and 
Navy,  etc.,  invited,  filled  the  capacity  of  the  hall;  and  as 
there  was  not  any  space  left  for  the  usual  hangers-on  of 
our  City  Fathers,  the  entertainment  was  hailed  as  one 
worthy  of  the  guests  and  the  occasion. 


376  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

The  building  at  the  "  Five  joints,"  as  the  locality  was 
termed,  formed  by  the  junction  of  Anthony,  Baxter,  and 
Park  streets,  built  when  its  location  was  far  in  the 
country  and  known  as  the  "Old  Brewery,"  was  a  resi- 
dence for  outlaws,  degraded  and  vicious  whites  and  blacks 
of  various  nations.  Its  history  was  associated  with  such 
crimes  and  murders  that  few  persons  ventured  into  its 
locality  at  night  unless  escorted  by  a  police  officer.  Charles 
Dickens  visited  it,  and  essayed  to  describe  it.  The  Five 
Points  Mission  now  occupies  this  site.      (See  page  486.) 

There  were  other  notorious  locations  within  the 
boundaries  of  the  "  Five  Points  "  and  "  Mulberry  Bend," 
as  Maloney's  and  "Bottle  Alley,"  both  of  which  were  an 
"Alsatia"  *  or  harbor  for  human  derelicts,  criminals  of 
the  lowest  grade,  and  tramps.  The  former  place  was 
held  to  have  been  the  scene  of  many  murders,  and 
regarding  the  latter,  in  the  rear  of  the  former  with  a 
connecting  passageway,  the  Herald  gave  the  details  of  no 
less  than  seven  known  murders. 

In  this  year  the  New  York  Society  Library  removed 
to  its  new  building  at  the  corner  of  Broadway  and 
Leonard  Street,  and  the  New  York  Historical  Society 
removed  to  the  New  York  University  building. 

In  March,  1856,  "  The  Ladies'  Home  Missionary 
Society"  of  the  "Methodist  Episcopal  Church"  was 
chartered;  its  object  being  to  labor  among  the  poor, 
especially  at  the  "  Five  Points,"  provide  fuel,  clothing, 
etc.,  for  them,  to  educate  their  children,  and  to  maintain 
a  school  there. 

*  In  the  fifteenth  to  seventeenth  centuries,  Whitefriars,  adjacent  to  the 
Temple,  London,  was  known  as  Alsatia,  and  it  had  the  privilege  of  a 
sanctuary,  except  against  a  writ  of  the  Lord  Chief  Justice  or  of  the  Lords 
of  the  Privy  Council  ;  and  as  a  result  it  was  the  refuge  of  the  perpetrators 
of  every  grade  of  crime,  debauchery,  and  offence  against  the  laws.  The 
execution  of  a  warrant  there,  if  at  any  time  practicable,  was  attended  with 
great  danger,  as  all  united  in  a  maintenance  in  common  of  the  immunity 
of  the  place. 


ROBERT    H.    MORRIS,    MAYOR 


377 


November  18.  Colt  was  to  be  hanged  this  day;  he  was 
married  in  his  cell  to  Caroline  Henshaw  by  the  Rev.  Henry 
Anthon.  At  4  p.  m.,  on  his  cell  being  entered,  he  was 
found  to  have  committed  suicide  by  stabbing  himself 
with  a  dirk  knife.  Simultaneously  with  this  discovery  a 
fire  broke   out   in   the  Tombs.     The  coincidence  of  the 


CLAREMONT.      BROADWAY,  ONE   HUNDRED  AND   TWENTY-THIRD  STREET, 
AND  ELEVENTH  AND  TWELFTH  AVENUES 


clay  of  expiation  and  the  fire  induced  the  opinion  with 
many  that  the  fire  was  not  accidental,  and  that,  in  the 
confusion  consequent  upon  its  occurrence,  some  of  the 
prisoners,  aided  by  friends,  might  have  escaped. 

It  has  been  further  alleged  that  with  the  connivance  of 
the  coroner,  and  with  a  jury  not  one  of  whom  was  cogni- 
zant of  Colt,  a  body  other  than  his  was  shown  to  them 
and  that  Colt  was  allowed  to  pass  unobserved  out  of  the 
Tombs,  and  that  he  has  been  recognized  since  in  California. 

The  interest  manifested  in  this  case  was  without  prec- 
edent, and  efforts  to  save  Colt  were  made  by  the  Rev. 
Henry  Anthon,  David  Graham,  Robert  Emmett  and  his 
brother,  and  many  others. 


378  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

November  21,  an  official  return  for  a  large  part  of 
the  vote  at  the  late  election  in  the  State,  and  an  estimate 
for  the  balance,  gave  to  the  Abolition  party  but  six  thou- 
sand votes. 

Dionysius  Lardner,  LL. D.,  the  eminent  English  writer 
on  physics,  who  in  a  public  lecture  had  advanced  the 
impracticability  of  oceanic  navigation  by  steam,  arrived 
here  for  the  purpose  of  giving  a  series  of  lectures  in  the 
principal  cities  of  the  Union.  As  he  was  not  as  familiar 
with  the  construction  of  the  American  marine  engines  as 
he  desired,  he  was  pleased  to  address  and  visit  me,  and  I 
aided  him.  He  was  an  exceptionally  lucid  lecturer,  was 
ill  received  and  only  fairly  patronized  here,  but  both 
well  received  and  patronized  in  other  cities.  The 
impression  left  upon  me  from  my  association  with  him 
was  not  such  as  to  lead  me  to  cultivate  any  further 
acquaintance. 

November  15,  Alderman  Abraham  Hatfield  introduced 
to  the  Board  of  Aldermen  a  resolution  suggesting  the 
expediency  of  revising  the  market  laws  so  as  to  permit 
butchers  to  sell  fresh  and  salt  meat  in  any  part  of  the 
city;  as  under  existing  laws  no^one  but  an  occupant  of 
a  stall  in  one  of  the  public  markets  was  allowed  such 
privilege. 

Until  the  claim  of  the  market  butchers  of  having  the 
exclusive  privilege  of  selling  meats,  and  that  only  in  the 
public  markets  for  which  they  paid  a  tax,  was  disputed 
by  the  "shop  butchers,"  as  they  were  termed,  and 
supported  by  the  general  public,  meats  and  vegetables 
could  only  be  obtained  in  the  public  markets.  The 
claim  of  the  market  butchers  was  defended  by  them  for  a 
long  while,  as  instanced  in  the  case  of  a  Mr.  Salter,  a 
butcher,  who  in  December  was  indicted  and  convicted  of 
selling  meat  in  a  shop,  and  Uncd  one  hundred  dollars 
and  costs.  It  availed  not,  for  the  public  supported  the 
shops  and  the  market  men  gave  up  the  contest. 


ROBERT    H.    MORRIS,    MAYOR  379 

In  evidence  of  the  necessity  of  such  a  change,  I,  at  a 
distance  of  exactly  one  and  one-tenth  of  a  mile  from  the 
nearest  public  market,  now  purchase  meats,  vegetables, 
and  fruits  near  to  my  residence.  Well  might  it  be 
quoted,   Tempora  mutantur  et  nos  mutatnur  in  illis. 

There  is  another  feature  in  our  business  relations 
worthy  of  notice.  Corner  stores,  wherever  they  existed, 
were  as  a  practice  occupied  by  the  Irish  as  groceries, 
where  a  bar  was  maintained.  Upon  the  advent  of  the  Ger- 
mans the  Irish  were  gradually  but  uniformly  displaced  by 
them,  and  the  Irish  in  turn  replaced  them  with  liquor 
stores,  erroneously  and  absurdly  termed  "saloons,"  in 
which  enterprise  they  were,  upon  the  introduction  of 
lager  beer,  joined  by  the  Germans. 

After  the  election  in  November  it  was  ascertained  that 
a  number  of  Whig  partisans  had  hired  in  Philadelphia 
and  transported  here  a  great  number  of  men,  ostensibly 
plumbers  and  pipe-layers;  but  for  the  sole  purpose  of 
voting  for  Whig  candidates  in  wards  where  their  votes 
would  "do  the  most  good."  The  names  of  several  well- 
known  citizens  were  given  as  connected  with  the  enter- 
prise. The  Democratic  papers  dwelt  upon  the  act  and 
termed  the  perpetrators  "pipe-layers";  which  term' was 
for  a  long  while  applied  to  them  and  to  the  party,  and 
is  still  in  current  use  to  denote  concealed  and  indirect 
methods  of  political  or  other  action. 

James  B.  Glentworth  was  held  to  be  the  instrument  by 
which  the  scheme  was  operated,  and  on  the  27th  of  January 
of  the  following  year  he  was  indicted  under  seven  sepa- 
rate complaints  for  misdemeanor  in  furnishing  money 
wherewith  to  pay  cost  of  transportation  and  maintenance 
of  the  parties  he  obtained.  In  consequence  of  some 
alleged  informality  in  the  indictments  six  of  them  were 
demurred  to,  and  a  court  annulled  them.  Upon  the  re- 
maining one  he  was  arraigned  and  tried,  and  on  the  30th 
of  May  the  jury  failing  to  agree  (five  to  seven)  it  was  dis- 


38o 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


charged,  and  on  June  2  he  was  surrendered  by  his  bail; 
but  obtaining  other,  and  after  a  second  trial  had  been 
ordered  and  much  argument  made,  the  further  prosecution 
on  October  10  was  ultimately  dropped,  and  on  November 
24  he  was  discharged.  December  2,  he  issued  an  address 
to  the  public  in  which  he  exposed  the  operation,  acknowl- 
edged himself  to  have  been  the  agent,  but  indignantly 
transferred  the  onus  of  the  transaction  to  those  who  had 
suggested  the  work  and  furnished  the  money. 

In  this  year  a  commission  of  registry  of  three  members 
was  first  appointed,  who  received  the  applications  of 
persons  desirous  of  voting  at  the  next  election;  and,  if 
they  were  decided  to  be  qualified  their  names  were  duly 
registered. 


HEAD   OVER    WINDOW   IN    WALTON    HOUSE 


CHAPTER   XIX 
1842.— ROBERT    H.     MORRIS,    MAYOR 

The  business  stringency  continued  this  year,  with 
securities  much  depressed,  trade  stagnant,  and  city  real 
estate  at  the  lowest  point  of  salable  value  it  had  reached 
for  many  years. 

The  Cunard  steamer  Britannia  arrived  at  Boston, 
bringing  twenty-five  days  later  news  from  England. 
This  same  vessel,  although  one  of  the  first  class  of  her 
day,  would  not  now  be  of  sufficient  dimensions  and  speed 
to  be  chartered  for  the  transportation  of  cattle. 

The  average  of  nineteen  passages  from  Liverpool  to 
Boston  via  Halifax,  and  deducting  time  there,  was  four- 
teen days  and  ten  hours,  and  on  January  20,  Charles 
Dickens,  with  Mrs.  Dickens,  arrived  in*  her.  It  would 
be  difficult  to  convey  to  my  readers  of  later  generations 
a  sense  of  the  excitement  caused   in  the  simpler  society 

*  In  her,  not  on  her,  which  latter  expression  is  universally  published 
in  our  daily  papers  ;  and  how  such  an  inappropriate  term  could  have 
been  adopted  can  only  be  explained  by  the  analogy  that  before  the 
advent  of  steam  navigation  on  the  Western  rivers,  and  the  construction 
of  railroads  ;  the  transportation  of  crops,  etc.,  and  even  of  passengers, 
was  effected  on  rafts,  borne  by  the  current  of  the  rivers.  One  was  very 
properly  said  to  have  arrived  on  a  raft  ;  hence,  when  steamboats  were 
introduced,  the  expression  was  continued.  One  coming  by  railroad 
might  with  equal  propriety  say  he  arrived  on  a  railway  car. 

During  the  Mexican  War,  upon  the  arrival  of  Major-General  Scott 
and  his  staff  at  Vera  Cruz,  it  was  published  throughout  the  Union  that 
he  and  they  had  arrived  there  on  the  Massachusetts.  Now,  from  my 
knowledge  of  the  vessel,  I  fail  to  see  how  they  could  have  been  accom- 
modated on  her,  that  is  above  deck,  and  if  they  were  not  wholly 
accommodated  there,  they  did  not  arrive  "on  her."  In  other  words, 
the  expression  is  inapplicable  and  a  vulgar  localism. 


382  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

of  that  period  by  this  visit.  Dickens  had  then  published, 
of  his  more  important  works,  the  "Pickwick  Papers," 
"Oliver  Twist,"  "Nicholas  Nickleby,"  "The  Old 
Curiosity  Shop,"  and  "  Barnaby  Rudge."  These  were 
as  familiar  in  this  country  as  in  England;  great  novelists 
were  rare  sights  here;  and  mere  curiosity  joined  with 
a  feeling  of  real  personal  attachment  to  induce  evi- 
dences of  interest  and  regard  which,  to  speak  truly,  were 
a  little  beyond  proper  measure. 

Some  of  our  leading  citizens  united  in  a  letter  of  wel- 
come to  the  novelist  while  he  was  yet  in  Boston,  inviting 
him  to  a  public  dinner.  Almost  immediately  afterward  a 
considerable  meeting  at  the  Astor  House,  presided  over 
by  the  Mayor,  determined  to  add  to  the  dinner  a  grand 
ball  at  the  Park  Theatre;  a  letter  of  invitation,  signed  by 
all  present,  being  despatched  to  Boston  by  a  private  hand 
for  delivery  personally.  The  Journal  of  Commerce  pub- 
lished the  following  : 

They'll  tope  thee,  Boz,  they'll  soap  thee,  Boz, 

Already  they  begin  ; 
They'll  dine  thee,  Boz,  they'll  wine  thee,  Boz, 

They'll  stuff  thee  to  the  chin. 
They'll  smother  thee  with  victuals,  Boz, 

With  fish  and  flesh  and  chickens  ; 
Beware,  Boz,  take  care,  Boz, 

Of  forming  false  conclusions, 
Because  a  certain  set  of  folks, 

Do  mete  thee  some  obtrusions, 
For  they  are  not  the  people,  Boz, 

These  tempters  of  the  cork, 
No  more  than  a  church  steeple,  Boz, 

Is  Boston  or  New  York. 

The  ball  occurred  on  February  14,  the  stage  and  pit 
of  the  theatre  being  floored  over  for  dancing.  The 
decorations  of  the  house  were  wholly  composed  of  scenes 
from  the  works  of  Dickens,  and  upon  a  small  stage 
erected  for  the  purpose  were  displayed  in  intervals  be- 


ROBERT    H.    MORRIS,    MAYOR  383 

tween  the  dances  tableaux  vivants  composed  after  the 
incidents  of  his  different  novels.  The  ball  was  attended 
by  about  twenty-five  hundred  persons;  and  in  some  in- 
stances subscribers  to  the  ball,  who  were  prevented  from 
attending,  sold  their  tickets  for  forty  dollars.  The 
dinner  was  given  on  February  18,  at  the  City  Hotel, 
with  Washington  Irving  in  the  chair.  Many  private 
attentions  also  were  cheerfully  paid  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dickens,  who  sailed  for  home  on  June  7.  The 
''American  Notes,"  published  in  the  fall  of  this  year, 
were  commonly  (though  perhaps  improperly)  considered 
to  be  an  ill  return  for  hospitality  so  lavish.  To  this 
feeling  the  appearance  of  "  Martin  Chuzzlewit,"  in  the 
next  year,  added  (and  more  justly  added)  a  new  bitterness. 
In  the  midst  of  their  wrath,  however,  people  smiled  when 
remembering  the  advice  attributed  to  Mr.  Tony  Wetter 
by  Mr.  Dickens:  that  Mr.  Pickwick  should  escape  from 
the  Fleet  prison  in  a  hollow  pianoforte  and  take  pas- 
sage for  America,  after  which  in  due  time  he  should 
"  come  back  and  write  a  book  about  the  '  Merrikins  '  as  '11 
pay  all  his  expenses  and  more,  if  he  blows  'em  up 
enough." 

Mr.  Robert  C.  VVinthrop  relates  of  Mr.  Dickens  that, 
before  he  reached  Washington,  he  had  accepted  invitations 
to  dinner  to  an  extent  that  precluded  his  acceptance  of 
an  invitation  from  both  the  President  and  ex-President 
Adams.  The  latter,  in  anticipation  of  meeting  Dickens, 
had,  at  his  daughter-in-law's  suggestion,  procured  a  copy 
of  the  "  Pickwick  Papers,"  but  could  not,  as  he  said,  pro- 
ceed beyond  a  few  chapters,  remarking  that  while  the 
author  had  a  wonderful  faculty  of  description,  the  inci- 
dents portrayed  were  not  worth  describing;  adding  that 
"there  was  no  novel  like  'Tom  Jones.'"  If  instead 
he  had  said  "Gil  Bias,"  there  are  many  like  to  myself 
who  would  have  agreed  with  him. 

Mr.  Winthrop    further   relates   that    Dickens   wrote    to 


384  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

Mr.  Adams  that  he  and  his  wife  asked  the  privilege  of 
coming  to  luncheon  the  following  day  at  two  o'clock. 
Accordingly  an  elaborate  lunch  was  provided,  but  not 
only  did  Dickens  and  his  wife  come  late,  but  before 
the  meats  had  been  removed  they  arose,  with  the  plea 
that  they  had  to  dress  for  dinner  at  the  house  of  an 
employe  of  the  State  Department,  and  the  luncheon 
was  broken  up. 

As  some  mitigation  of  Dickens's  conduct  on  this  and 
some  other  occasions,  it  was  advanced  that  he  had  been 
led  into  the  infelicity  of  "previous  engagements"  by 
officious  friends.  On  the  other  hand  he  evidenced  a 
preference  for  the  company  of  newspaper  men  and  re- 
porters, and  the  flattery  he  had  received  at  Boston  and 
New  York  induced  a  degree  of  brusquerie  and  way- 
wardness even  in  the  company  of  men  entitled  to  his 
respect. 

Copies  of  Dickens's  "American  Notes"  were  received 
from  England,  and  his  ill-natured  and  unjust  criticisms 
and  but  partial  commendations  aroused  a  very  general 
feeling  of  indignation  and  humiliation  with  those  who 
had  been  in  anywise  connected  with  the  complimentary 
manner  in  which  he  had  been  received. 

I  met  him  on  his  second  visit  here,  and  although  I 
breakfasted  in  company  with  him,  I  declined  an  introduc- 
tion, notwithstanding  I  am  an  enthusiast  when  I  refer  to 
some  of  his  works. 

Mr.  Dickens's  visit  was  measurably  disappointing;  we 
did  too  much  for  him  and  his  lady;  they  did  not  appre- 
ciate the  honor  bestowed  on  them,  and  overrated  their 
importance.  When  in  Washington  they  were  charged 
with  a   neglect   of  etiquette   amounting   to  incivility. 

It  must  be  added  that  on  the  subsequent  visit  of 
Mr.  Dickens,  at  the  Press  Dinner  given  to  him  in  April, 
1868,  just  before  his  departure,  he  made  a  graceful 
and   feeling  statement   in   the   nature   of  an  apology,  or 


ROBERT    H.    MORRIS,    MAYOR  385 

even  a  recantation,  which  he  engaged  to  have  ap- 
pended to  every  copy  of  the  offending  works  so  long  as 
he  or  his  representatives  should  retain  control  of  their 
publication. 

January  19,  the  Registry  Law  for  the  city  was  repealed 
by  an  act  of  the  Legislature. 

In  February  the  Herald  claimed  to  have  attained  a 
daily  publication  of  27,890  copies.  On  the  2d,  the  Gen- 
eral Bankrupt  Law  was  enacted  by  Congress. 

February  8.  Public  sentiment  was  so  adverse  to  the 
operations  of  stock-brokers  that  Recorder  F.  A.  Tall- 
madge,  in  his  charge  to  the  Grand  Jury,  invited  its 
attention    to   their  objectionable   practices. 

The  Atlantic  Mutual  Insurance  Co.  was  organized 
by  several  merchants  with  a  subscription  of  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  and  Walter  R.  Jones  was  elected 
president.  In  i860  it  made  a  scrip  dividend  of  thirty- 
five  per  cent.,  and  had  assets  amounting  to  §6,646,292. 16. 
and  1894,  forty  per  cent.,  and  assets,  $11,340,731.85. 

February  12.  The  City  Despatch  Post  was  this  day  put 
in  operation.  Letters  or  parcels  under  two  ounces,  three 
cents;  under  eight,  six  cents.  It  was  known  as  the 
Penny  Post. 

Referring  to  a  file  of  the  Evening  Post  for  a  date  which 
I  had  forgotten,  1  noticed  its  publication  of  the  list  of 
unclaimed  letters  in  the  Post-office.  This  was  a  practice 
of  the  period  before  and  for  some  years  after.  The 
greater  number  of  such  letters,  and  the  space  occupied  by 
the  addresses,  after  a  few  years  rendered  such  notice 
quite  impracticable. 

February  14,  Bennett  of  the  Herald,  who  had  been 
indicted  for  libels  on  Judges  Lynch  and  Xoah  of  the 
Court  of  Sessions,  was  fined  one  hundred  dollars  for  one 
offence  and  two  hundred  and  fifty  for  the  other. 

April  9,  having  occasion  to  refer  to  a  date  in  this 
year,    I   noticed   the    quotations  of   the   market  both   for 


$86  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

meats  and  fish,  and  the  rate  of  exchange  on  bank-bills, 
and  give  them  without  selection  as  to  period  or  prices 
exceptionally  high  or  low. 

Meats  and  fish :  Porter-house  steaks,  12c.  per  lb. 
Ducks  and  fowls,  50  to  100c.  each.  Beef,  5  to  11c.  per 
lb.  Sirloin,  10c.  per  lb.  Mutton,  5  to  8c.  per  lb.  Chick- 
ens, 2,7%  to  75c.  each.  Lobster,  8c.  per  lb.  Butter,  25c. 
per  lb.  Lamb,  6  to  8c. per  lb.  Shad,  i8^c.  each.  Crabs, 
2C.  each. 

Rates  of  exchange  on  bank-notes :  New  England,  3/%  to 
y2  per  cent.  Pennsylvania,  y2  to  2  per  cent.  Maryland, 
3^  to  7  per  cent.  Virginia,  8  to  9  per  cent.  Mississippi, 
50  per  cent.  Ohio,  12  per  cent.  Georgia,  5  to  20  per 
cent.  Alabama,  16  to  17  per  cent.  Illinois,  50  per  cent. 
Michigan,  35  per  cent.  Florida,  60  to  75  per  cent.  Lou- 
isiana, 10  to  15  per  cent. 

In  the  same  paper  I  note  the  sales  of  stocks  and  bonds, 
as  reported  for  the  day,  to  consist  of  but  twenty-eight 
sales  of  all  kinds. 

April  15.  In  this  year  our  shipping  interests,  like  all 
others,  suffered  from  the  depression  of  business,  but  as 
an  indication  of  the  extent  of  the  New  York  shipping 
trade  at  this  period,  in  comparison  with  that  of  later 
years,  there  were  in  port  this  day  70  ships,  34  barks,  93 
brigs  and  250  schooners. 

April  28.  There  was  a  large  meeting  at  Tammany 
Hall  this  evening,  held  in  pursuance  of  a  call  to  express 
the  opinion  of  the  Democratic  party  on  the  action  of 
Thomas  W.  Dorr  of  Rhode  Island,  in  declaring  himself 
elected  Governor  and  essaying  to  maintain  the  position. 
Eventually  he  failed  to  maintain  his  claim,  and  he  and 
his  followers  dispersed.  When  he  was  here  in  about 
1825,  reading  law,  we  resided  together. 

May.  The  new  Custom  House  on  Wall,  William,  and 
Hanover  streets  and  Exchange  Place  was  completed 
and  occupied;  the  entire  cost  being  a  million  of  dollars. 


ROBERT    H.    MORRIS,    MAYOR  387 

May  10.  The  second  great  horse  race  between  North- 
ern and  Southern  breeders  came  off  this  day  at  the  Union- 
Course,  L.  I.  The  occasion  of  it  was  a  challenge  by  Colo- 
nel Wm.  R.  Johnson,  "The  Napoleon  of  the  Turf,"  to 
James  Long  of  Washington,  to  run  his  mare  "Fashion" 
four-mile  heats  against  the  latter's  horse  "Boston,"  for 
twenty  thousand  dollars  a  side.  It  was  won  by  the  for- 
mer in  7  minutes  32^  seconds  and  7  minutes  45  seconds, 
and  it  was  estimated  that  there  were  fully  fifty  thousand 
persons  present. 

After  the  Anglomania  possessed  our  breeders  here,  and 
they  supplanted  two-,  three-,  and  four-mile  heats  by  flat 
races  of  three-quarters  to  a  mile  and  one-half,  and  entered 
two-year-olds,  a  horse  over  three  years  of  age  is  seldom 
seen  upon  a  course,  but  when  entries  of  three-year-oids 
and  above  were  alone  entertained,  horses  were  entered 
and  run  up  to  nine  years,  which  was  the  age  of"  Fashion  " 
in  the  race  above  noted,  "  Boston  "  being  five  ;  and 
"  Eclipse  "  in  his  great  race,  in  1823,  was  eight  years  old. 

June  7.  In  the  early  part  of  this  month,  Judge  Kent 
and  Aldermen  Ball  and  Hatfield  presiding,*  a  case  was 
tried  that  involved  very  much  more  interest  than  any 
occurring  within  the  period  of  these  reminiscences.  It 
was  that  of  Colonel  Monroe  Edwards,  alias  J.  P.  Caldwell, 
who  had  been  arrested  on  the  7th  of  October  in  the  pre- 
vious year  for  forgery  and  fraud.  He,  by  a  system  of 
forged  letters,  to  and  from  various  parties  in  the  country, 
displayed  knowledge  of  a  high  order  of  business  and 
commercial  affairs,  by  which  he  obtained  two  sums 
of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  each,  on  exchange, 
notes,  and  letters.  On  October  5  he  was  brought  to 
this  city. 

He  was  prosecuted  by  Jas.  R.  Whiting,  the  District 
Attorney,   assisted   by    Hon.     Ogden    Hoffman,    and   de- 

*  Previously,  and  for  some  years  after,  the  aldermen  were  associated 
with  a  judge  in  all  criminal  cases. 


388  REMINISCENCES    OF    AX    OCTOGENARIAN 

fended  by  Hon.  J.  J.  Crittenden,  U.  S.  Senator,  and  Hon. 
Thos.  F.  Marshall,  both  from  Kentucky,  J.  Prescott 
Hall,  Robt.  M.  Emmett,  Wm.  M.  Price,  and  Wm,  M. 
Evarts. 

The  trial  lasted  seven  days,  the  verdict  was  "guilty," 
and  the  sentence  ten  years  in  the  State  Prison.  So  great 
was  the  interest  in  the  trial,  and  such  was  the  eloquence 
of  the  counsel,  that  the  procedings  with  the  speeches, 
published  in  pamphlet  form  and  sold  for  six  and  one- 
quarter  cents,  were  thus  circulated  not  only  in  New  York, 
but  very  widely  through  adjacent  States. 

This  was  the  first  appearance  of  Mr.  Evarts  in  an  im- 
portant case,  and  he  gave  promise  of  his  future  distin- 
guished ability. 

Edwards  died,  January  29,  1847,  before  the  termination 
of  his  sentence,  from  indiscretion,  and  to  this  day,  when 
it  is  essayed  by  those  who  knew  of  him  to  give  an  ex- 
ample of  personal  address,  skill,  and  criminal  adroitness 
— he  is  instanced. 

June  1,  Niblo's  opened  with  the  Ravels  and  a  dramatic 
company  of  which  the  Misses  Cushman  were  members. 
The  Ravels  occupied  the  house  for  four  nights  of  each 
week.  During  this  season  they  produced  "  The  Green 
Monster,"  a  pantomime  that  remained  famous  for  many 
years. 

The  work  on  the  Croton  Aqueduct  was  so  far  com- 
pleted that  water  was  turned  into  it  on  June  21,  and 
on  the  27th  it  was  admitted  witli  formal  ceremony  into 
what  was  known  as  the  upper  reservoir  at  Yorkville,  now 
familiar  as  the  "old  reservoir"  in  Central  Park.  It  was 
introduced  with  further  ceremonies,  on  July  5,  into 
the  reservoir  at  Fifth  Avenue  and  Forty-second  Street, 
then  described  as  "at  Murray's  Hill,  a  short  drive  from 
the  city." 

July  (),  Mr.  Pinteaux  opened  the  Cafe*  des  Mi  lie 
Colonnes   in    Broadway,  between    Duane  and    Anthony 


ROBERT    H.    MORRIS,    MAYOR  389 

(Worth)  streets.  In  accommodation  and  appointments  it 
was  far  in  excess  of  any  previous  essay  in  this  country. 

July  19,  Marcus  Cicero  Stanley,  who  had  rendered 
himself  notorious  in  some  alleged  scandalous  transactions, 
was  cowhided  in  the  Park  by  an  offended  party. 

August:  James  E.  Cooley,  a  resident  of  the  city,  had 
travelled  in  the  East;  and  on  his  return  he  published  a 
book  of  his  travels,  in  which  he  commented  on  some  act 
of  George  R.  Gliddon,  the  British  consul  at  Cairo.  Soon 
after  the  appearance  of  the  book  Mr.  Gliddon  arrived  in 
the  country,  and  he  provoked  a  personal  rencontre  with 
Mr.  Cooley  in  the  store  of  the  Messrs.  Appleton,  the 
publishers  of  the  book;  resulting  in  Mr.  Cooley  being 
fined  by  a  court  to  the  amount  of  five  dollars. 

John  Anderson,  who  occupied  a  store  in  Broadway 
under  the  St.  Nicholas  Hotel,  Broadway  and  Spring  Street, 
had  employed  a  very  pretty  young  woman  named  Mary 
Rogers.  She  was  very  attractive,  and  so  much  admired 
that  both  she  and  the  place  where  she  was  employed  par- 
took of  notoriety.  On  a  day  in  July  (a  Sunday,  I  think) 
she  left  home,  and  was  never  seen  again  until  her  bruised 
body  was  discovered  in  the  water  near  the  "  Sibyl's 
Cave  "  at  Hoboken.  An  examination  of  the  vicinity 
developed  the  fact  that  there  had  been  a  severe  struggle. 
The  notoriety  of  the  victim,  the  evidence  of  her  resistance, 
whether  in  defence  of  honor  or  life,  the  question  of  the 
animus  and  the  identity  of  the  murderer,  all  contributed 
to  an  exciting  mystery,  which  the  police  of  two  counties 
signally  failed  to  disclose.  The  theory  of  robbery  from 
the  person  was  not  for  a  moment  entertained.  An 
opinion  was  general,  which  gained  ground,  that  the  act 
was  that  of  an  officer  of  the  Navy. 

In  August  Lord  Ashburton  (Alexander  Baring),  having 
concluded  with  Mr.  Webster  the  negotiation  of  the 
"  Ashburton  Treaty,"  by  which  was  defined  the  disputed 
boundary  line   between   Maine  and    Canada,  visited   New 


39°  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

York  on  his  way  homeward.  He  was  received  with  every 
sign  of  good  feeling,  had  the  Governor's  Room  in  the 
City  Hall  placed  at  his  disposal,  received  much  private 
hospitality,  and  was  entertained  at  a  public  dinner  and 
also  by  Captain  M.  C.  Perry,  of  the  Navy,  on  board  his 
command,  the  steamer  Fulton,  on  which  occasion  I  was 
present. 

September  13,  one  McCoy  was  killed  in  a  prize-fight 
by  his  antagonist,  Lilly.  The  affair  took  place  at 
Hastings-upon-Hudson.  Lilly  escaped,  but  the  seconds 
in  the  combat  were  convicted  of  manslaughter  in  the 
fourth  degree. 

September,  George  Vandenhoff  appeared  here  for  the 
first  time  in  this  country,  in  "  Hamlet,"  and  afterward 
in  other  tragedies  and  in  high  comedies.  His  perform- 
ances were  of  great  elegance,  but  not  very  successful 
with  the  public. 

September  26,  Richard  Riker  died. 

September  29,  Rev.  Antoine  Verren,  Rector  of  the 
Church  du  St.  Esprit,  having  been  tried  by  Judge  Lynch 
and  four  aldermen  under  an  indictment  for  perjury,  was 
acquitted  by  the  jury  with  the  expressed  approval  of  the 
Court. 

At  this  period  the  depression  in  business  and  manu- 
factures was  very  extensive,  and  the  effect  was  sensibly 
exhibited  in  the  depreciation  of  stocks;  thus:  In  nine 
solvent  companies,  the  stocks  of  which  were  marketable, 
the  mean  depreciation  was  forty-six  per  cent.  In  the 
latter  part  of  this  year  I  joined  the  United  States  Steam 
Frigate  Missouri,  and  the  effect  of  the  manufacturing 
depression  was  manifest  in  the  personnel  of  the  crew;  a 
majority  of  which  were  workmen  out  of  their  proper  em- 
ploy, and  were  derisively  termed,  by  the  sailors  proper, 
the  "cotton  weavers." 

October  16,  at  a  public  sale,  vacant  lots  in  the  city, 
which  in   1836  had  been  purchased  for  twenty-five   hun- 


ROBERT    H.    MORRIS,    MAYOR  391 

dred  dollars  and  three  thousand  dollars,  sold  for  five 
hundred  dollars. 

As  a  matter  of  general  information  it  was  published 
that  the  time  of  travel  hence  to  New  Orleans  was  from 
six  to  seven  days,  and  the  least  actual  cost  $57.25. 

October  18,  in  illustration  of  the  manner  of  conduct- 
ing the  nomination  of  candidates  for  Congress,  State  and 
City  officers:  each  ward  was  entitled  to  five  delegates, 
who  met  at  Tammany  Hall,  and  there  by  ballot  an- 
nounced their  candidate.  On  this  day  there  was  a 
nominating  convention  held  there  for  Register  and  As- 
semblymen. At  this  period,  and  for  some  years  after, 
our  representatives  in  Congress  and  the  Legislature 
were  nominated  and  elected  on  a  general  ticket.  There 
were  seventeen  wards,  hence  the  convention  consisted 
of  eighty-five  members,  and  forty-three  votes  were  nec- 
essary for  a  nomination.  On  the  ballot  for  Register  J. 
Sherman  Brownell  received  forty-eight  votes,  and  was 
duly  nominated.  On  the  first  ballot  for  Assemblymen, 
there  were  the  names  of  fifty-two  candidates  presented, 
of  which  George  G.  Glasier,  a  shipwright,  received  forty- 
four  and  he  was  the  only  candidate  receiving  a  majority; 
Samuel  J.  Tilden  being  fourth  on  the  list  with  thirty-six 
votes. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brougham  first  appeared  in  October;  he 
became  at  once  popular  and  long  remained  efficient  on 
our  stage  as  actor  and  playwright. 

October  14,  the  great  Croton  Water  celebration  took 
place,  surpassing  in  its  proportions  and  interest  any 
public  occasion  ever  before  known  in  New  York,  includ- 
ing even  the  famous  parade  on  the  completion  of  the 
Erie  Canal.  The  procession  was  estimated  to  be  seven 
miles  long,  in  endless  variety,  military  and  civic — includ- 
ing all  the  troops  of  the  neighborhood,  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment, with  firemen  of  Philadelphia,  Brooklyn,  and  oth$r 
cities  (a  mile  and  a  half  of  firemen),  and  representatives 


392  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

of  trades  and  associations  of  every  kind;  it  required 
more  than  two  hours  to  pass,  in  ranks  from  two  to  ten 
deep.  The  printers  had  a  car  bearing  the  press  which 
Benjamin  Franklin  had  once  worked,  on  which  were 
printed  during  the  passage,  for  distribution  among  the 
crowd,  copies  of  an  ode  written  for  the  occasion  by 
George  P.  Morris,  which  at  a  later  hour  was  sung  by  a 
large  choir,  from  a  stage  erected  in  the  City  Hall  Park. 
The  route  was  from  the  Battery  up  Broadway  to  Union 
Square,  where  the  Governor  (Seward)  reviewed  the 
troops,  then  by  way  of  the  Bowery,  etc.,  to  the  City  Hall, 
where  the  procession  was  reviewed  by  the  Mayor  and 
Common  Council.  At  this  point  Samuel  Stevens,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Building  Commission,  formally  transferred  the 
works  to  the  city,  the  speech  of  acceptance  being  made 
by  John  L.  Lawrence,  President  of  the  Croton  Aqueduct 
Board.  A  collation  followed,  at  which  the  Mayor  and 
the  Governor  spoke.  Through  the  day  the  new  fountains 
in  Union  Square  and  the  City  Hall  Park  (the  latter  on 
the  site  now  defaced  by  the  Post-office)  had  been  play- 
ing, to  the  admiration  of  all  spectators.  In  the  evening 
a  brilliant  general  illumination  ended  the  public  festivi- 
ties. The  city  swarmed  with  visitors;  all  the  near-by 
towns  poured  in  their  populations,  while  great  numbers 
came  from  places  comparatively  remote. 

The  introduction  of  water  into  the  city  by  the  com- 
pletion of  the  Aqueduct,  and  the  consequent  construc- 
tion of  sewers  in  the  streets,  afforded  the  opportunity 
for  the  introduction  of  it  in  buildings,  and,  as  a  result, 
plumbers  were  in  great  demand;  but  as  the  few  in  opera- 
tion at  this  period  were  inexperienced  in  house  work,  as 
it  is  termed,  parties  who  were  wholly  ignorant  of  plumb- 
ing embarked  in  the  business,  and  advertised  themselves 
as  "  practical  "  plumbers;  hence  this  general  and  super- 
fluous prefix  to  billiard,  tonsorial  and  boot  blacking  par- 
lors; hatters'  signs,  etc.,  etc.! 


ROBERT    H.    MORRIS,    MAYOR  393 

November  17,  Assistant  Alderman  Atwill  introduced 
a  resolution  in  the  Board  with  a  view  to  the  establish- 
ment of  a  day  and  night  police. 

It  was  in  this  year  that  the  evanescent  political  party, 
styled  The  Native  Americans,  came  into  existence.  The 
foundation  of  its  organization  was  that  none  but  native- 
born  citizens  were  to  be  its  members,  and  all  were 
pledged  not  to  vote  for  any  foreigner  for  office. 

A  short  time  previous  to  this,  Simpson,  the  manager  of 
the  Park  Theatre,  had  directed  that  henceforth  females 
unaccompanied  by  a  man  were  not  to  be  admitted  during  a 
performance;  upon  which  paeans  were  sung  by  the  press, 
from  the  pulpit,  and  by  a  large  portion  of  the  public. 
The  operation  of  such  a  proceeding  cannot  be  fully  under- 
stood at  this  day.  The  third  tier  of  boxes,  or  gallery,  with 
its  foyer  and  a  bar-room,  was  wholly  given  up  to  women 
and  those  who  sought  their  company  or  visited  there  as 
spectators.  Unfortunately  the  small  size  of  audiences  at 
theatres  at  this  period,  except  upon  occasions  of  especial 
attraction,  coupled  with  the  loss  of  the  many  men  who  were 
attracted  solely  by  the  presence  of  the  women,  proved 
too  powerful  to  permit  the  restriction  of  women,  where- 
upon Simpson  was  criticised  by  the  press  and  contributors 
to  it.  Hence  his  position  was,  "  I'll  be  damned  if  I  do 
and  be  damned  if  I  don't." 

The  prices  of  admission  at  this  time  were  seventy-five 
cents  to  the  boxes  and  fifty  cents  to  the  pit,  now  termed 
the  orchestra  and  held  to  be  the  most  desirable  location, 
and  at  the  highest  price. 

About  this  date  prevailed  "  Mock  auctions,"  or 
auctions  at  which,  by  the  aid  of  confederates,  termed 
"  Peter  Funks,"  not  an  article  was  sold  except  at  a 
remunerative  price,  or  in  such  manner  as  to  trap  the 
unwary,  credulous,  or  submissive  victim,  in  a  purchase  in 
which  he  would  be  unmercifully  swindled. 

The  grand  coup  of  the  auctioneer  was   to  set   up  a  dis- 


394 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


play  card  on  which  were  affixed  a  variety  of  articles, 
knives,  scissors,  chains,  rings,  mock  jewelry,  etc.,  etc., 
upon  which  a  "Funk"  would  start  a  bid  so  small,  com- 
pared with  the  value  of  all  the  articles,  that  the  uninitiated 
party  present,  alike  to  Peter  Pindar's  "Hodge,"  thinks 
"the  fellow  must  have  stole  them,"  and  he  ventures  a 
bid,  whereupon  the  articles  are  ceded  to  him  and  he  is 


-  -■ 


OUSE,    NO.    39    BROADWAY,    OF    MAJOR-GENERAL  MACOMB,    LATE 
THE  MANSION   HOUSE  "   OF  C.  BUNKER  (SEE  PAGE  121). 


invited  into  a  back  room  to  settle.  He  produces  the 
amount  of  his  bid  or  a  bank-bill  in  excess  of  the  amount 
of  it,  whereupon  to  his  dismay  he  is  informed  that  there 
are  fifty  different  articles  on  the  card  (as  the  case  may 
be),  and  that  the  price  is  so  much  per  piece.  Upon  his 
remonstrance  he  is  met  by  two  or  three  men  who  declare 
that  the  articles  were  offered  at  so  much  per  piece,  and 
that  he  bought  them,  whereupon,  after  some  dissent,  he 
either  pays  the  full  amount  or  loses  his  money ;  and  as  the 
class  of  persons  who  were  so  swindled  were  invariably 
countrymen,  they  soon  left  the  city  and  abided  their  loss, 
in  preference  to  being  incarcerated  in  the  House  of 
Detention  to  testify   if  they   made   the  charge. 


ROBERT    H.    MORRIS,    MAYOR  395 

Whenever  an  effective  coup  was  made  by  a  sale,  it  was 
announced  "  Xo  more  sales  to-day,"  and  the  place  was 
immediately  closed;  thus  precluding  the  victim  from 
making  any  immediate  demand  or  disturbance,  upon  his 
discovery  of  the  swindle.  A  common  delusion  practised 
upon  a  stranger,  when  he  stopped  at  the  door  and  asked 
what  sale  it  was,  was  the  uniform  reply  that  it  was  a  sher- 
iff's sale,  which  was  given  as  a  sure  bait  to  the  unwary. 

Despite  the  attempt  to  restrain  these  auctions  by  legal 
practice,  and  the  publicity  that  was  given  in  the  papers 
to  their  swindling  practices,  they  continued  to  flourish 
(Broadway  and  Chatham  Street  being  the  principal  loca- 
tions) until  one  of  our  Mayors  conceived  the  effective 
method  of  employing  a  man  with  two  large  canvas 
placards  suspended,  one  in  front  and  one  behind  him,  on 
which  were  emblazoned  in  large  letters  "  Beware  of  Mock 
Auctions,"  and  the  duty  of  the  man  bearing  the  notices 
was  to  walk  to  and  fro  in  front  of  these  stores. 

November  4,  Daniel  Webster  made  another  visit  to 
New  York,  and  held  a  public  reception  at  the  City  Hall, 
which  was  attended  by  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  a 
body,  whose  president  made  an  address. 

In  this  month  died  John  Delmonico,  the  head  at  that 
time  of  the  familiar  business  that  had  then  become  well 
established.  He  was  one  of  a  deer-hunting  party  at 
Snediker's,  L.  I.,  placed  on  a  stand;  he  wounded  a  deer, 
which  was  killed  at  the  adjoining  stand.  When  his  asso- 
ciates went  to  join  him  they  found  him  dead;  the  excite- 
ment of  the  coming  of  and  firing  at  the  deer  induced 
apoplexy. 

Philip  Hone's  "Diary"  preserves  for  posterity  the  fol- 
lowing singular  notice:  "A  Card:  The  widow,  brother, 
and  nephew  Lorenzo,  of  the  late  much  respected  John 
Delmonico,  tender  their  heartfelt  thanks  to  the  friends, 
Benevolent  societies,  and  Xorthern  Liberty  Fire  Engine 
Company,  who  accompanied  his  remains  to  his  last  home. 


396  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

The  establishment  will  be  reopened  to-day,  under  the 
same  firm  of  Delmonico  Brothers,  and  no  pains  of  the 
bereft  family  will  be  spared  to  give  general  satisfaction. 
Restaurant,  bar-room,  and  private  dinners,  No.  2  South 
William  Street;  furnished  rooms  No.  76  Broad  Street,  as 
usual." 

October  12.  James  Watson  Webb,  who  in  June  had 
fought  a  duel  with  the  Hon.  Thomas  Marshall  of  Ken- 
tucky, in  the  State  of  Delaware,  and  was  wounded  in  the 
leg,  was  on  the  1st  instant  presented  by  the  Grand  Jury, 
who  in  the  indictment  submitted  the  following  excep- 
tional charge,  declaring  ''James  Watson  Webb,  of  an 
evil  and  wicked  mind  and  malicious  disposition,  and  a 
common  duellist,  fighter,  and  disturber  of  the  peace  of  the 
people  of  the  State  of  New  York,"  etc. 

To  this  Webb  pleaded  guilty  of  having  left  the  State 
with  the  intent  to  fight  a  duel;  whereupon  Recorder  Tall- 
madge,  a  political  and  personal  friend  of  his,  to  the  sur- 
prise of  all  held  that  leaving  the  State  with  the  intent 
to  fight  did  not  render  him  amenable  for  having  fought, 
and  the  indictment  was  dismissed. 

The  origin  of  the  meeting  was  a  charge  of  Webb  that 
corruption  was  resorted  to,  to  effect  the  repeal  of  the 
Bankrupt  Law.* 

November  19,  Webb  was  again  presented,  and  pleaded 
guilty;  he  was  committed  to  the  Tombs,  but  under  ex- 
ceptional indulgence  as  to  quarters,  and  regaled  by  the 
munificence  of  his  friends. 

Bennett  of  the  Herald  drew  up  a  petition  asking  the 
Governor  to  pardon  Webb,  which  was  signed  by  fully 
five  thousand  persons,  and  forwarded  to  the  Governor 
(Seward).  On  the  26th  he  was  sentenced  to  two  years  in 
prison,  and  on  the  2d  of  December  he  received  a  pardon. 

While  he  was  in  prison  Bennett  invited  a  party  to  send 

*  This  law  was  repealed  by  the  House  of  Representatives  on  the  K)th 
of  January,  and  by  the  Senate  on  February  25,  1843. 


ROBERT    H.    MORRIS,    MAYOR  397 

him  one  hundred  segars,  and  another  to  send  him  half  a 
dozen  of  champagne.  The  first  was  complied  with,  and 
Webb  was  very  indignant;  for  it  should  be  understood 
that  between  Webb  and  Bennett  there  was  a  personal, 
professional,  and  political  feud,  and  that  the  latter's 
actions  were  designed  to  be  received  as  the  compassionate 
or  eleemosynary  action  of  one  who  forgave  an  offender  in 
view  of  his  being  in  distress. 

December  i,  Webb  and  Marshall  were  indicted  in 
Wilmington,  Del.,  for  having  fought  the  duel  there. 

The  Messrs.  Robert  and  George  L.  Schuyler  in  the 
preceding  year  contracted  with  the  Russian  Government 
for  the  construction  of  a  steam  frigate,  the  Kamschatka; 
she  was  completed  and  delivered  in  this  year  at  Cron- 
stadt.  Regretfully,  the  Messrs.  Schuyler,  who  were  not 
experienced  either  as  shipbuilders  or  engineers,  adopted 
a  novel  design  of  engines  and  boilers,  which  was  dis- 
approved by  engineers  (I  use  the  last  word  emphatically), 
and  the  vessel  was  not  favorably  received  by  the  Govern- 
ment after  it  had  witnessed  the  operation  of  her 
machinery. 

December  15,  the  United  States  brig  Somers,  Com- 
mander Alex.  S.  Mackenzie  commanding,  arrived  from 
Monrovia,  Africa,  and  soon  after  it  was  learned  that 
while  cruising  on  the  coast  a  midshipman  on  board  had 
formed  a  mutinous  band  (the  crew  of  the  vessel  being 
principally  boys,  apprentices  from  the  schoolships)  with 
the  purpose  of  murdering  the  officers  and  seizing  the 
vessel,  in  connection  with  which  J.  W.  Wales,  the  purser's 
steward,  was  approached  and  asked  to  join.  He  tempo- 
rized with  the  proposers,  and  availing  himself  of  a  fitting 
opportunity,  he  disclosed  the  plan  to  the  commander, 
which  was  to  feign  a  scuffle  on  the  forecastle,  and  on  the 
appearance  of  the  officers  then  to  murder  all  but  the 
surgeon,  whereupon  the  ringleaders  were  arrested,  a 
court-martial  convened  which   declared  the  midshipman, 


398  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

a  boatswain's  mate,  and  a  seaman  guilty,  and  they  were 
immediately  hanged. 

This  summary  proceeding  was  severely  censured  by 
many,  and  especially  so  as  the  midshipman  was  a  son  of 
a  Cabinet  officer  at  the  time.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
action  was  held  to  have  been  necessary  to  secure  the 
safety  of  lives,  the  vessel,  and  the  honor  of  the  service; 
added  to  which,  the  vessel  was  but  a  brig,  the  number 
of  officers  was  small,  and  as  they  were  young,  it  would 
have  been  injudicious  to  have  risked  the  rising  of  even 
a  portion  of  a  crew  that  had  considered  and  planned  a 
mutiny. 

On  the  28th  instant  a  Court  of  Inquiry  was  convened 
at  the  Navy  Yard  here,  Commodore  Charles  Stewart  pre- 
siding, and  the  Hon.  Ogden  Hoffman,  Judge  Advocate. 

Captain  Mackenzie's  professional  reputation  and  career 
were  for  some  time  damaged,  but  late  in  the  spring  of 
1843  a  long-continued  court-martial  fully  and  honorably 
acquitted  him,  and  the  verdict  was  approved  by  the 
President. 

About  this  period  associations  of  young  men  under  the 
general  designation  of  target  companies,  but  appearing 
as  "  Guards,"  "  Sharpshooters,"  "  Fencibles,"  etc.,  be- 
came frequent;  and  as  they  paraded  almost  exclusively 
in  the  months  preceding  the  fall  election,  they  generally 
assumed  the  names  of  candidates  in  nomination  for  a 
political  office,  or  of  the  firm  or  manufactory  in  which 
they  were  employed,  when  the  number  thus  employed 
was  sufficient  to  form  a  company.  The  conventional 
manner  of  equipment  was  a  band  of  music,  two  or  more 
tall  men,  with  axes  and  fur  shakos  and  beards,  to  repre- 
sent pioneers;  then  the  company,  with  muskets  and 
belts,  and  then  a  negro  supporting  a  target.  The  pio- 
neers were  men  who  made  a  profession  of  such  services, 
and  were  hired  for  the  occasion.  The  muskets,  belts,  etc., 
were  also  hired.      In  some  instances  the  recipient  of  the 


ROBERT    H.    MORRIS,    MAYOR  399 

high  honor  of  having  a  military  (?)  company  named  after 
him  marched  in  front,  supported  by  some  congenial 
friends.  Contributions  were  not  confined  to  money;  but 
plated  ware  of  various  kinds  was  given  and  exhibited, 
generally  strung  on  a  pole  which  was  supported  at  each 
end  by  one  of  the  company,  conspicuously  shown  in  front. 

After  the  competition  for  the  prizes,  the  first  proceed- 
ing on  the  return  of  the  companies  seems  to  have  been 
that  of  riddling  the  target  with  balls,  evidently  without 
regard  to  the  distance  at  which  it  was  placed,  and  the 
trophies  were  suspended  from  the  button-holes  of  the 
winners,  and  the  negro  bore  the  evidence  of  the  prowess 
of  the  company  with  all  the  "pomp  and  circumstance" 
his  race  is  conspicuous  for  when  put  in  prominence. 

For  many  years  the  companies  on  their  return,  without 
exception,  marched  by  the  office  of  the  Hei-ald  in  Nassau 
Street;  and  the  following  morning  the  members  could 
read  a  notice  of  them  and  their  "  soldierly  appearance." 

The  American  Museum,  which  in  1816  was  at  21 
Chatham  Street,  and  in  18 17  removed  to  the  New  York 
Institution,  a  long  building  fronting  on  Chambers  Street, 
and  afterward  removed  to  the  corner  of  Broadway  and 
Ann  Street,  was  in  this  year  owned  and  operated  by 
Phineas  T.  Barnum,  who  had  obtained  possession  of  the 
stock  and  building  of  Scudder's  Museum,  on  the  site 
later  occupied  by  the  New  York  Herald.  Here  he  pro- 
duced the  dwarf  man  "General"  Tom  Thumb.  In  1841 
Barnum  occupied  a  bookstore  at  137  Nassau  Street. 

The  New  York  and  Harlem  Railroad  was  opened  to 
Williamsbridge. 

In  this  year  the  common-school  system  was  extended 
to  the  city  by  act  of  Legislature. 

The  Park  Theatre  made  great  efforts  to  recover  its 
supremacy;  prices  were  again  reduced  as  follows:  boxes, 
50  cents;   pit,  25  cents;  and  gallery,  12^  cents. 

September,    Barnum,    later    termed    the    Napoleon    of 


4oo 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


showmen,  introduced  a  construction  which  he  heralded 
in  his  customary  manner,  and  termed  it  the  mummy  of  a 
Mermaid.  It  was  the  construction  of  the  upper  half  of  a 
young  woman  and  the  after  part  of  a  fish,  and  so  elabo- 
rately and  artistically  effected  that  very  many  people 
were  deceived  and  gave  faith  to  the  imposition.  In 
1844,  when  I  was  in  Washington,  I  became  acquainted 
with  the  man  who  manufactured  it;  he  was  from  the 
north  of  Europe. 

It  was  ascertained  that  since  July  1  of  the  preceding 
year,  eighty-five  steamboats,  plying  in  the  Western 
rivers,  had  been  wrecked,  either  by  explosion  of  their 
boilers,  fire,  or  snags. 

At  the  end  of  the  year  there  was  given  at  the  Park 
Theatre  an  early  form  of  "Toodles,"  a  play  which  after- 
ward, at  Burton's,  became  a  very  great  favorite. 

The  Bowery  also  reduced  its  prices  this  season  to  373,2 
cents  for  the  boxes  and  19  cents  for  the  pit,  followed  by 
a  further  reduction  to  25  cents  and  \2l/2  cents. 


AN  OLD-TIME   KNOCKER   OF  A   STREET   DOOR 


CHAPTER    XX 

1843-1844. — ROBERT      H.      MORRIS,       1 843       AND       1 844 ;        \M> 
JAMES     HARPER,     1 844,     MAYORS 

January  2,  the  secretary  of  the  New  York  Life  and 
Trust  Co.,  Nicoll,  was  discovered  to  have  been  speculat- 
ing heavily  in  lottery  tickets  and  stocks,  since  Decem- 
ber, 1841 ;  he  resigned,  and  his  account  was  deficient 
two   hundred   and    fifty    thousand   dollars. 

January  5,  the  historic  walls  of  the  Park  Theatre 
were  desecrated  by  the  conversion  of  the  pit  for  the 
accommodation  of  Welsh's  Olympic  Circus  and  its  ap- 
pearance there,  which  was  not  only  numerously  but 
fashionably  attended  until  its  closing  on  March  6. 

January  8,  at  "The  Broadway  Cottage,"  opposite  the 
Hospital,  which  was  then  termed  a  "  groggery,"  "rum- 
shop,"  or  "gin-mill,"  and  now  known  as  saloons  (why,  1 
have  not  as  yet  been  satisfactorily  replied  to),  a  young 
woman  in  the  daytime  was  allured  in  and  violently 
assaulted;  the  perpetrator,  a  man  named  Dingier,  was 
arrested.  Jas.  R.  Whiting  was  District  Attorney  at  the 
time,  and  his  arraignment  and  invective,  in  his  opening 
of  the  case  and  his  charge  to  the  jury,  were  exceptional 
essays,  and  so  effective  that  the  jury  were  absent  less 
than  five  minutes,  and  the  prisoner  was  sentenced  to  ten 
years'  hard   labor  in  the  State  Prison. 

In  illustration  of  the  enterprise  of  the  journalists  of 
the  time  in  the  absence  of  express  trains  on  railroads, 
electric  telegraphy,  etc.,  upon  the  assembling  of  the 
Legislature  in  this  year,  the  Governor's  message  was 
expressed  to  the  city  by  rival   journals,  on  different  sides 


402  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

of  the  Hudson  River.  The  riders  of  the  expresses  were 
to  start  upon  the  delivery  of  the  message  at  12  m.  ;  that 
of  the  Tribune  reached  Wall  Street  at  9  p.  m.  Probably 
it  left  somewhat  before,  the  appointed  time.  The  riders 
were  three,  with  the  necessary  relays  of  horses. 

Foreign  steamers  were  boarded  at  Halifax,  and  the 
news  borne  by  them  was  expressed  to  Boston  and  New 
York. 

Very  stringent  business  conditions  continued  through 
most  of  this  year,  some  improvement  being  manifested 
at  its  close. 

February  14  died  Commodore  Hull,  U.  S.  N.,  and  on 
February  21  died  Peter  Augustus  Jay ;  an  eminent  citizen, 
highly  esteemed  by  all  classes. 

Early  in  this  year  the  movement  to  nominate  Mr.  Clay 
for  the  Presidency  took  form,  and  the  "Clay  balls," 
which  were  a  notable  feature  of  the  campaign  of  1844, 
began  to  be  given. 

March  21.  In  the  evening  of  this  day  a  Mr.  Corlies, 
who  was  proprietor  of  a  billiard  room  in  Broadway  near 
Franklin  Street,  was  called  out  by  a  woman,  and  when 
they  reached  Benson  Place  in  Leonard  Street,  he  was 
shot  and  killed  by  a  man  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
street.  The  only  party  to  whom  an  incentive  for  such 
a  crime  existed  was  soon  after  arrested  in  his  room;  sub- 
sequently both  he  and  his  wife  were  indicted,  tried,  and 
acquitted  for  want  of  direct  testimony. 

Samuel  F.  B.  Morse,  who  had  conceived  his  idea  of 
electric  telegraphy  in  1832,  had  publicly  exhibited  a  tele- 
graph in  the  University  of  New  York  in  1837.  After 
1  ng  delays  a  Congressional  appropriation  was  made 
March  3,  1843,  for  building  a  trial  line  from  Baltimore 
to  Washington,  which  was  completed  in  1844.  I  was 
present  at  the  receipt  of  the  first  message,  and  soon  after 
transmitted  one  to  a  friend  in  Baltimore.  Submarine 
telegraphy  began  in  New  York  harbor  in  the  autumn  of 


ROBERT    H.    MORRIS,    MAYOR  403 

1842.  In  January,  1846,  the  telegraph  was  opened  be- 
tween Xew  York  and  Philadelphia,  and  was  continued  to 
Washington  in  the  course  of  that  summer.  My  younger 
readers  can  scarcely  realize  how  the  telegraph  revolu- 
tionized methods  of  domestic,  as  the  ocean  cables  did 
the  methods  of  foreign,  business. 

April  29,  Jesse  Hoyt,  Collector  of  the  Port,  was  found 
to  be  a  defaulter  to  the  Government  in  an  amount  ex- 
ceeding two  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

In  May  Peter  Lorillard  died,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
nine,  having  outlived  his  brothers  George  and  Jacob, 
who  had  been  associated  with  him  in  business  and  the 
founding  of  one  of  the  great  Xew  York  fortunes. 

The  "Lady  of  Lyons"  was  first  played  in  America,  in 
May,  1 841,  at  the  Park  Theatre,  with  an  admirable  cast, 
Charlotte  Cushman  as  Widow  Melnotte. 

In  June  President  Tyler  visited  New  York  on  his  way 
to  the  ceremonies  attending  the  dedication  of  Bunker 
Hill  Monument.  A  great  display  marked  his  reception 
here. 

In  the  same  month  occurred  the  death  of  Christian 
Bergh,  at  the  age  of  eighty-one.  Mr.  Bergh  may  be 
called  the  founder  of  our  shipbuilding,  which  under  his 
care  and  that  of  his  followers  became  an  enterprise  of 
great  magnitude,  and  produced  ships  that  were  un- 
rivalled by  those  of  any  other  nation.  The  crushing  out 
of  the  world-famous  American  shipbuilding  is  one  of  the 
most  grievous  errors  of  modern  legislation. 

July  4.  The  residents  occupying  houses  fronting  the 
Bowling  Green  had  erected  within  the  enclosed  park 
a  prismoidal  structure  of  rough  rock,  over  the  sides  of 
which  flowed  a  stream  of  water  from  a  Croton  pipe. 
The  design  was  generally  held  to  have  been  a  signal 
failure;  a  rather  severe  criticism  in  view  of  the  restricted 
space  and  the  supply  of  water.  On  the  occasion  of  a 
French  gentleman  visiting  one  of  the  contributors  to  the 


404  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

structure,  his  attention  was  invited  to  it,  and  after  a 
brief  interval  he  asked,  "  What  is  the  name  of  the  archi- 
tect ?"  Upon  being  replied  to,  that  it  was  Mr.  Renwick, 
he  simply  remarked,  "  Mr.  Ronwig !  I  shall  remember 
that  name."  An  American  or  Englishman  would  have 
expressed  his  dissent  from  the  design  in  less  considerate 
words. 

About  this  period  there  were  two  contending  parties 
interested  in  the  adoption  by  the  Government  of  their 
peculiar  designs  and  constructions  for  the  raising  of 
vessels,  incorrectly  and  persistently  termed  "  dock," 
viz.:  The  Gilbert  or  "Balance,"  by  which  a  vessel  could 
be  raised  either  in  an  open  or  enclosed  space,  but  in 
both  cases  on  a  connected  and  continuous  support  or 
bearing:  the  other  the  Dakin  or  "Sectional,"  the  bear- 
ing being  constructed  in  sections,  by  which  it  was  argued 
that  they  could  by  their  independent  action  be  adapted 
to  the  line  of  the  keel  of  a  vessel,  if  any  curvature 
therein  required  such  support.  This  was  a  very  plausible 
position  to  advance,  although  it  was  an  untenable  one. 
and  it  succeeded  with  members  of  Congress,  some  of 
whom  had  never  seen  a  ship,  and  even  with  shipmasters 
and  constructors  who  were  not  well  up  in  the  operation 
of  hydraulic  machinery.  The  result,  after  one  of  the 
severest  contests  that  were  ever  presented  to  Congress 
or  the  Navy  Department,  other  than  one  of  general 
public  interest,  was  a  compromise,  by  authorizing  the 
construction  by  one  party  at  Philadelphia  and  the  other 
at  Pensacola.  My  official  position  at  the  time  was  one 
that  subjected  me  to  the  recitals  and  arguments  of  both 
parties. 

In  operation  both  designs  were  introduced  here,  and 
both  had  their  supporters. 

July  18  Mrs.  J.  M.  Davenport,  formerly  "the  infant 
wonder,1'  who  had  first  appeared  in  June  at  the  National 
Theatre    with    great    success    (at    eleven    years   of    age),  was 


ROBERT    H.    MORRIS,    MAYOR  405 

seen  at  the  Park,  where  she  attracted  great  attention. 
After  a  long  absence  she  appeared  at  the  Astor  Place 
Opera  House,  in  the  autumn  of  1849,  m  the  pride  of 
young  womanhood. 

August  31,  there  was  a  buffalo  hunt  in  an  enclosure 
at  Hoboken,  N.  J.,  which  was  witnessed  by  fully  thirty 
thousand  people  from  this  city,  and  in  the  progress  of 
the  hunt  a  number  of  the  confined  animals  broke  loose, 
to  the  dismay  and  damage  of  the  spectators. 

September,  the  Chatham  Theatre,  in  new  hands, 
opened.  A  very  notable  attachment  to  the  company  was 
the  ''Virginia  Minstrels"  (Whitlock,  T.  G.  Booth,  H. 
Mestayer,  and  Barney  Williams),  for  this  was  the  begin- 
ning of  "  Negro  minstrels." 

The  Park  Theatre  was  very  much  embellished  this 
summer,  even  to  the  building  of  a  new  front  to  the 
house,  and  was  opened  in  September,  with  a  return  to 
the  old  prices. 

September  30,  at  the  Episcopal  Convention  held  in  St. 
Paul's  Chapel,  an  exciting  contest  occurred  in  the  con- 
sideration of  a  vote  on  a  resolution  involving  the  sanction 
of  the  forms  (?)  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Pusey  of  England.  The 
final  vote  was  on  a  question  adverse  to  "  Puseyism,"  and 
the  result  was,  Ayes,  clergy  18;  laity  37=55;  Noes, 
clergy  97;  laity  47  =  144;  a  result  that  was  hailed  with 
great  glee  by  the  Bishop. 

October.  On  the  completion  of  the  United  States  aux- 
iliary steamer  Princeton,  having  a  novel  design  of  engines 
of  Captain  Ericsson,  and  one  of  his  screw  propellers, 
Commodore  Stockton  had  given  notice  that  upon  the  day 
of  departure  of  the  British  mail  steamer  Great  Western,  he 
purposed  a  trial  of  speed,  and  on  the  19th,  as  the  Great 
Western  rounded  the  Fort  off  Governor's  Island,  the 
Princeton  headed  for  her,  and  they  raced  to  Sandy  Hook 
bar. 

The  Great   Western  was  the   fastest  sea  steamer  out  of 


406  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

England,  and  her  captain,  J.  Hosken,  accepted  the  con- 
test, and  his  vessel  was  as  well  prepared  as  a  merchant 
steamer  loaded  with  freight  and  fuel,  leaving  port,  could 
be.  On  the  other  hand  the  Princeton  was  deep,  as  the 
competition  was  not  solely  to  pass  over  a  certain  distance 
in  the  least  time,  but  to  test  the  sea-going  capacity  of  the 
vessel. 

Captain  Hosken,  in  a  letter  regarding  the  contest, 
claims  to  have  made  nine  and  one-half  knots  per  hour, 
and  acknowledges  to  have  been  beaten  from  one-half  to 
three-quarters  of  a  knot  per  hour. 

During  this  fall,  General  Count  Bertrand,  of  Na- 
poleon's army,  and  companion  of  the  Emperor  in  exile, 
divided  attention  with  Macready,  being  honored  with 
extraordinary  civilities,  public  and  private.  A  public 
dinner  was  given  him  by  the  French  residents. 

November,  Colonel  John  Trumbull,  the  artist  and 
Revolutionary  soldier,  died,  aged  eighty-seven. 

December,  a  controversy,  not  yet  forgotten,  began 
between  the  Rev.  Dr.  Wainwright  and  Dr.  Potts,  a 
Presbyterian  clergyman,  originated  by  Dr.  Wainwright's 
declaring  in  a  letter  that  "there  could  not  be  a  Church 
without  a  Bishop." 

The  building  for  the  Leake  and  Watts  Orphan  Home, 
the  corner-stone  of  which  had  been  laid  in  1838,  was  in 
this  year  completed  and  occupied.  This  was  the  struct- 
ure still  standing  (1895)  in  the  Cathedral  grounds,  on 
the  line  of  One  hundred  and  Twelfth  Street,  near  Tenth 
Avenue,  having  been  but  lately  vacated  on  completion 
of  the  new  Home  on  the  bank  of  the  Hudson,  just  across 
the  line  of  the  city's  northern  boundary. 

1844.  February  7.  Although  the  fine  for  giving  a 
masked  ball  (deducting  one-half  the  fine  to  the  giver 
who  informed  on  himself)  was,  as  has  been  before  stated, 
one  thousand  dollars,  yet  one  was  given  this  evening  in 
the  upper  East  side,  which  the  Herald  in   its  illustrated 


ROBERT    H.    MORRIS,    MAYOR  407 

report  of  it,  termed  it  "  Grand  Fourierite  *  Free  and 
Easy,  and  Joint-Stock  Fancy  Ball,"  from  which  the  char- 
acter of  both  participants  and  their  actions  rffey  be 
inferred. 

February,  F.  Palmo,  the  proprietor  of  the  popular 
Cafe  de  Mille  Colonnes,  an  enthusiastic  lover  of  his  native 
music,  secured  the  building  39  and  41  Chambers  Street, 
previously  Stoppani's  baths,  and  at  his  own  charges  con- 
verted it  into  a  charming  little  house  for  the  production 
of  Italian  Opera,  and  it  afterward  was  converted  into 
Burton's  Theatre.  The  over-confident  Palmo  lost  in  this 
enterprise  all  the  money  he  had  accumulated  in  his  proper 
business,  and  was  forced  to  "  tend  bar  "  for  a  living. 

It  must  be  noted  here  that  the  Harlem  Railroad  adver- 
tised that  after  the  opera  "a  large  car,  well  lighted  and 
warmed,"  would  be  run  "from  the  corner  of  Chambers 
and  Centre  streets  as  far  as  Forty-second  Street." 

On  St.  Valentine's  Day  was  given  at  the  Astor  House 
the  "Bachelors'  Ball,"  which  had  been  long  expected  by 
our  society  and  was  long  remembered  for  its  brilliancy. 
In  the  latter  part  of  the  month  the  city  was  suddenly 
depressed  by  news  of  the  disaster  on  board  the  Princeton. 

February  28.  It  was  on  board  of  this  vessel  that  the 
twelve-inch  cast-iron  gun  known  as  the  "Peacemaker" 
burst,  when  the  vessel  was  bearing  the  President,  his 
Cabinet,  officers  of  the  Army  and  Navy,  and  members  of 
Congress,  and  many  other  gentlemen  with  ladies,  on  an 
excursion  in  the  River  Potomac,  killing  Secretary  of 
State  Abel  P.  Upshur,  Secretary  of  the  Navy  William  C. 
Gilmer,  the  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Construction,  Captain 

♦Charles  Fourier  designed  a  condition  of  society  he  termed  "  Social 
Unity."  Soon  after  this  a  call  for  a  meeting  of  all  who  desired  to 
form  an  American  society  was  issued  for  April,  to  which  were  subscribed 
the  names  of  some  dozen  well-known  citizens.  Horace  Greeley  is 
reported  by  the  Herald  to  have  been  intimately  connected  with  the 
society,  and  an  advocate  of  its  doctrines. 


408  REMINISCENCES    OF    AX    OCTOGENARIAN 

Beverly  Kennon,  Virgil  Maxcy  and  David  Gardiner,  of 
Gardiner's  Island,  N.  Y.,  and  wounding  Captain  Stockton, 
Lieutenant  Hunt,  and  a  seaman.  The  gun  was  cast  at 
the  West  Point  foundry,  Cold  Springs,  N.  V.,  in  1843, 
and  was  satisfactorily  proved  by  Commodore  Stockton, 
I  assisting  him,  and  subsequently  at  Sandy  Hook. 

March  3,  from  an  investigation  by  the  Grand  Jury,  it 
submitted  to  the  Court  that  the  New  York  Life  and 
Trust  Co.,  with  a  capital  of  §20,750,000,  had  assets 
amounting  to  only  $2,000,000. 

This  was  the  exciting  year  of  the  Clay  campaign  for  the 
Presidency.  A  considerable  revival  of  business  began, 
in  spite  of  the  distractions  of  the  canvass. 

In  this  year  Captain  Ericsson  was  created  by  the  King 
of  Sweden  a  Knight  of  the  Order  of  Vasa,  and  naturalized 
as  a  citizen  of  the  United  States. 

April  6,  the  Xew  York  Courier  and  Enquirer,  referring 
to  the  advent  of  the  annual  elections  for  Wardens  and 
Vestrymen  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  affirmed 
that  the  Bishop  and  many  of  the  clergy  were  essaying  to 
elect  "  Puseyites, "  and  that  the  matter  was  of  great  in- 
terest to  the  Church,  and  that  after  the  Bishop  (Benj.  T. 
Onderdonk)  had  addressed  the  Episcopal  Convention  in 
support  of  "Puseyism,"  as  it  was  termed,  Mr.  John  Duer 
presented  a  paper  signed  by  several  clerical  and  lay  dele- 
gates, respectfully  dissenting  from  certain  remarks  in  the 
Bishop's  address  (Benj.  T.  Onderdonk),  and  requesting 
that  their  dissent  might  be  placed  in  the  minutes,  where- 
upon he  was  interrupted  by  the  Bishop,  who  violently 
declared  he  would  not  allow  the  paper  to  be  made  a  sub- 
ject for  discussion  or  be  put  upon  the  minutes.  Mr. 
Duer  arose  to  appeal  from  the  decision  of  the  Bishop, 
who,  in  a  very  excited  and  peremptory  manner,  replied, 
"  Sit  down,  sir;  take  your  seat,"  and  declared  that,  if  the 
clergy  and  laity  did  not  sustain  him,  he  would  "resist, 
even  unto  death,  such  an  invasion  of  his  rights  !  " 


ROBERT    H.   MORRIS,    MAYOR  409 

April  7,  General  Morgan  Lewis  died,  eighty-nine  years 
old.  Son  of  Francis  Lewis,  a  signer  of  the  Declaration 
of  Independence,  he  was  himself  eminent  for  service  in 
the  Revolutionary  War.  After  the  peace  he  became 
Attorney-general,  Justice  and  Chief  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  State,  Governor,  and  Senator. 
In  the  war  of  1812  he  served  as  Quartermaster-general 
of  the  United  States  Army.  At  the  time  of  his  death 
General  Lewis  was  Grand  Master  of  Masons  and  Presi- 
dent of  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati.  His  funeral  in  St. 
Paul's  Chapel  was  a  great  public  event.  It  was  attended 
by  the  aged  Major  William  Popham,  then  ninety-two 
years  of  age,  Vice-president  of  the  Cincinnati  and  then 
the  sole  surviving  original  member  of  the  society. 

April  7,  Washington  Hall  and  its  site  were  purchased 
from  the  heirs  of  John  G.  Coster  by  Alex.  T.  Stewart, 
who  purposed  to  erect  a  dry-goods  store  thereon.  Mr. 
Hone  writes  that  the  corner-stone  of  the  Hall  was  laid 
on  the  4th  of  July,  1809,  and  on  the  5th  of  July  of  this 
year  it  was  burned. 

The  Roman  Catholics  in  1841  had  opposed  the  applica- 
tion of  the  public-school  fund  in  the  established  manner; 
they  wanted  a  portion  of  it  for  their  sectarian  schools, 
and  organized  in  support  of  their  claim.  In  this  not  only 
did  they  signally  fail,  but  their  action  gave  additional 
organization  and  vitality  to  the  Native  Americans,  whose 
action  in  the  mayoralty  election  of  this  year  was  of 
exceptional  interest,  as  there  were  three  parties  in  the 
field,  their  candidates,  Jonathan  I.  Coddington  repre- 
senting the  Democrats,  Morris  Franklin  the  Whigs, 
and  James  Harper  the  Native  Americans,  who  was 
elected;  he  receiving  24,510  votes  against  20,538  cast 
for  Coddington,  and  5297  for  Franklin.  This  party  was 
in  the  majority  in  the  Common  Council  for  some  years, 
but  the  illiberality  of  its  tenets,  added  to  the  return 
of  many  of  its   members  to  their   original   parties,  when 


4io 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


Native  Americans  were  in  nomination,  so  reduced  the 
new  party  that  in  a  few  years  it  dwindled  out  of  exist- 
ence. Mayor  Harper  signalized  his  administration  by 
active  service  in  the  improvement 
of  Madison  Square,  and  in  improv- 
ing the  organization  of  the  Police 
Department. 

His  administration  partook  of  the 
purity  of  that  of  his  early  predeces- 
sors in  the  office,  but  without  the 
savoir  faire  and.  pratiques  of  some  of 
the  local  politicians  who  succeeded 
him. 

At  this  period  the  police  officers 
of  the  city  were  few  in  number, 
without  effective  organization,  and  ununiformed.  Mr. 
Harper,  recognizing  their  deficiency  when  combined 
action  was  required,  proceeded  to  remedy  this,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  effecting  an  organization  that  became  initiatory 
to  the  present  one.  He  also  succeeded,  despite  the  oppo- 
sition to  the  measure,  in  establishing  a  uniform  for  the 
members. 

April  4,  the  Fourierites  held  a  great  convention  in 
Clinton  Hall,  at  which  Horace  Greeley  presided  as  one 
of  the  Vice-presidents;  and  on  the  8th,  the  anniversary 
of  the  birth  of  Fourier,  there  was  a  grand  festival  at 
Apollo  Hall,  at  which  Parke  Godwin  and  Horace  Greeley 
addressed  the  company. 

The  Tribune  at  this  time  was  the  organ  of  the  Fourier- 
ites and  published  their  creed. 

April  13,  Moses  Y.  Beach,  in  his  paper  The  Sun,  essayed 
to  perpetrate  a  hoax  upon  the  public  with  an  announce- 
ment of  the  arrival  of  a  balloon  and  its  navigator  at 
Charleston,  S.  C,  from  England. 

April  n,  the  first  Paas  festival  of  the  St.  Nicholas 
Sim  iety  was   celebrated. 


JAMES    HARPER,    MAYOR  41  I 

April  12,  the  Herald  having  published  a  very  severe 
article  on  Henry  Wikoff,  regarding  his  business  relations 
with  Mile.  Elssler,  he  replied  in  the  columns  of  the 
Enquirer,  making  charges,  and  alleging  circumstances 
altogether  of  too  personal  a  nature  to  be  given  here. 
May  2.  At  Apollo  Hall  there  was  presented  the  per- 
formance of  the  "Congo  Minstrels,"  later  known  as  the 
"  Xegro  Minstrels." 

June  27.  In  evidence  of  the  advance  or  improvement 
in  the  capacity  of  both  trotting  and  running  horses,  the 
breeding  and  training  of  them:  in  1818  "  Boston  Blue"  of 
Boston,  Mass.,  at  Jamaica,  L.  I.,  trotted  a  mile  in  har- 
ness in  the  then  unprecedented  recorded  time  of  3  min- 
utes; in  1824,  "Albany  Pony,"  also  in  harness,  a  mile  in 
2  minutes  and  40  seconds;  and  in  this  year  "  Americus," 
driven  by  George  Spicer,  trotted  three  miles  on  a  race- 
course on  Long  Island  in  7  minutes  and  52.2  seconds, 
equal  to  an  average  of  2  minutes  and  37.5  seconds;  and 
in  1859,  at  Kalamazoo,  Mich.,  "Flora  Temple,"  in  har- 
ness, one  mile  in  2  minutes  and  19. 75  seconds.  In  running 
horses  like  improvement  had  been  attained.  "  Sir 
Henry  "  in  1823  ran,  as  before  stated,  four  miles  in  7 
minutes  37  seconds;  and  in  1876  "Ten  Broeck  "  in  7  min- 
utes and  15.75  seconds. 

July  1,  the  Cunard  steamer  from  Boston  for  Liver- 
pool had  sixty-six  passengers,  and  at  the  same  time  from 
this  city,  the  Oxford  for  Liverpool,  the  Oneida  for  Havre, 
and  the  Victoria  for  London  had  collectively  but  eighty- 
four  passengers. 

May  9,  at  an  annual  meeting  of  the  Abolitionists,  their 
actions  were  of  an  exceptional  and  fanatical  character. 
They  were  wrought  up  to  frenzy,  in  the  passage  of 
a  resolution  expressing  a  determination  to  dissolve  the 
Union.  Garrison  presided,  assisted  by  Wendell  Phillips. 
At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  it  was  advanced 
that  in  consequence  of  the  frequent  and  fatal  accidents  on 


412  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

the  New  York  and  Harlem  Railroad,  the  rails  should  he 
removed  from  the  streets;  and  a  report  from  a  select 
committee  was  submitted  by  it,  which,  after  being  laid 
aside,  was  not  concurred  in. 

May.  It  was  about  this  period  that  the  area  known  as 
the  Fishing  Banks  was  discovered  to  be  a  feeding  bottom 
for  sea  bass,  porgies,  etc.,  and  Henry  E.  Neill  chartered 
the  first  steamboat  for  the  service  of  fishing  and  excursion 
parties. 

It  was  not  permitted  to  sell  goods  on  a  Sunday,  or  to 
encumber  a  sidewalk.  The  fine  for  the  non-observance  of 
the  laws  was  two  dollars  for  each  of  the  offences,  and  it 
was  demanded  and  paid. 

The  proposed  annexation  of  Texas,  advanced  and  ad- 
vocated at  the  South  and  by  the  Northern  Democrats, 
was  violently  opposed  by  partisans  of  the'  Whig  party, 
who  were  opposed  to  any  extension  of  Southern  influence 
and  negro  slavery.  Meetings  for  the  purpose  of  express- 
ing dissent  were  held  at  various  times,  and  the  Adminis- 
tration and  "  Loco-focos,"  as  the  Democrats  were 
termed,  denounced.  On  April  24  a  public  meeting  of  all, 
"without  reference  to  party,"  assembled  at  the  Taber- 
nacle to  protest  against  the  annexation;  the  call  being 
signed  by  the  leading  merchants,  bankers,  and  citizens 
of  the  time.  The  meeting  was  presided  over  by  Albert 
(jallatin,  and  it  was  interrupted  by  an  adverse  party,  who 
hurrahed  for  Texas,  etc.  Conspicuously  the  Whigs  out- 
numbered the  Democrats. 

The  Chatham  Theatre  opened  in  the  middle  of  July, 
with  J.  W.  Wallack  as  Hamlet  to  the  Ophelia  of  Mrs. 
Flynn.  This  performance  was  notable  for  the  appear- 
ance of  F.  S.  Chanfrau  as  Laertes.  He  had  worked  up 
from  the  ranks,  afterward  becoming  famous  as  Mose  in 
"  A  Glance  at  New  York  "  at  the  Olympic.  He  travelled 
thereafter  extensively  through  the  Union;  a  handsome 
man  and  versatile  actor  of  enduring  popularity. 


JAMES    HARPER,    MAYOR  413 

July  29,  the  Long  Island  Railroad  was  opened  to  its 
terminus  at  Greenport,  with  an  excursion  over  the  line 
to  Boston  in  the  following  year;  and  the  last  train  to  the 
South  Ferry  was  run  September  30,  1861.  Much  was  ex- 
pected of  this  enterprise  as  affording  a  main  route  of 
travel  to  the  East  (by  steamboats  from  Greenport),  but 
it  did  not  fulfil  expectation. 

April  13.  Edward  Curtis,  a  prominent  and  active  Whig 
who  had  been  appointed  Collector  of  the  Port  by  Presi- 
dent Harrison,  was  this  day  removed  by  President  Tyler, 
who  was  charged  with  aspiring  to  be  the  nominee  at  the 
approaching  convention,  and  in  view  of  it  he  sought  to 
put  his  partisans  in  power,  and  Chas.  G.  Ferris,  a  Demo- 
crat, was  appointed  to  the  vacancy.  Both  removal  and 
appointment  were  much  criticised. 

July  30,  the  New  York  Yacht  Club  was  organized  by 
the  presence  and  act  of  nine  gentlemen  on  board  the 
yacht  Gimcrack  of  Mr.  John  C.  Stevens,  who  was  elected 
commodore.  On  its  first  cruise  there  were  nine  yachts. 
Many  years  prior  to  this,  Commodore  Stevens  and  his 
brother,  Robert  L.,  had  built  a  small  sloop,  the  Trouble, 
and  in  1833  they  built  at  Hoboken  the  schooner  Wave. 

Mr.  Korponay,  a  Pole,  who  had  lately  arrived  here  for 
the  purpose  of  teaching  us  the  polka,  went  to  Saratoga, 
where  he  was  received  by  the  young  with  much  dclat;  and 
after  a  very  successful  course  of  teaching,  he  visited  New- 
port and  Washington  for  a  like  purpose,  and  successfully. 

In  August  died  John  G.  Coster,  at  eighty-one,  a  much- 
esteemed  citizen;  and  also  William  L.  Stone,  who  had 
honorably  conducted  the  Commercial  Advertiser  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century. 

1  think  it  was  in  the  fall  of  this  year  that  the  Bowery 
Theatre  brought  out  a  patriotic  drama  entitled  "Putnam, 
or  the  Iron  Son  of  '76,"  which  had  extraordinary  attrac- 
tion for  the  public,  and  ran  for  nearly  eighty  consecutive 
nights.      Its    cast    of    characters    included    Washington, 


414  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

Greene,  Cornwallis,  Rawdon,  etc.,  and  appealed  strongly 
to  a  public  the  elders  of  which  could  remember  the 
Revolutionary  War. 

As  the  Presidential  election  drew  near,  it  became  the 
chief  topic  of  thought  and  conversation.  The  passionate 
devotion  of  the  Whigs  to  the  person  of  Mr.  Clay  gave 
a  peculiar  ardor  to  their  feelings  and  acts  in  this 
campaign,  which  never  since  has  been  matched  in  point 
of  enthusiasm.  On  October  30,  a  great  Whig  demon- 
stration occurred  in  New  York,  followed  on  November  1 
by  an  equally  long  procession  of  the  Democrats.  In 
numbers,  insignia,  and  equipments  these  were  superior 
to  any  preceding  or  succeeding  display  I  have  witnessed, 
and  I  have  seen  very  many.  In  the  election  the  Whigs 
"  traded  "  their  Congressional  and  State  candidates  for 
Clay  votes,  thus  giving  a  sweeping  success  to  the  Native 
American  party;  but  that  party  did  not  return  the  com- 
pliment in  full,  and  as  the  Abolitionists  voted  directly 
or  indirectly  against  Clay,  he  lost  the  State  of  New  York 
by  a  small  majority,  and  with  it  the  election. 

The  first  returns  favored  Clay's  prospects,  and  the 
Broadway  House,  on  the  north-east  corner  of  Broadway 
and  Grand  Street,  the  Whig  head-quarters,  was  a  centre 
of  rejoicing  over  the  early  news.  A  procession  marched 
to  congratulate  Frelinghuysen,  the  candidate  for  Vice- 
president,  who  was  visiting  in  Washington  Place,  and  he 
replied  in  a  speech.  The  Whigs  were  intoxicated  with 
triumph,  but  the  morning  showed  New  York  and  the 
election  lost.  The  Broadway  House,  after  this  campaign, 
lost  prestige  and  declined. 

John  C.  Stevens  leased  a  portion  of  the  grounds  of 
Columbia  College,  fronting  on  College  Place,  and  erected 
a  house  thereon,  somewhat  in  the  Colonial  style.  In 
excavating  for  the  foundation,  there  were  exposed  and 
reclaimed  two  pieces  of  English  field  artillery,  which  had 
evidently  been  captured  and  secreted. 


JAMES    HARPER,    MAYOR  415 

Thomas  Ludlow  Ogden  died  in  December  of  this  year, 
aged  seventy-one.  He  was  a  highly  respected  member 
of  the  bar,  of  a  family  connection  which  is  still  extensive 
and  of  high  repute.  For  many  years  he  had  been  clerk 
of  Trinity  corporation  and  Warden  of  the  parish.  He 
was  grandfather  of  Thomas  Ludlow  Ogden,  but  now 
dead  (1894),  almost  precisely  fifty  years  later,  also  in  the 
office  of  a  vestryman  of  Trinity. 

In  this  year  Joseph  Francis  perfected  his  life-boat, 
the   precursor  of   the   varieties   that   have  followed. 

Houston  Street  was  extended  from  Lewis  Street  to  the 
East  River. 

The  last  services  were  held  in  the  Middle  Dutch 
Church,  prior  to  its  removal.  The  old  church  became 
the  Post-office.  It  was  removed  in  1882  to  make  way 
for  the  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company's  building. 

August  11.  The  Herald  evidently  availed  itself  of 
every  opportunity  that  was  presented  to  notice  what 
it  held  to  be  vagaries  or  idiosyncrasies  of  Horace 
Greeley,  the  acts  or  sayings  of  James  Watson  Webb,  the 
letters  of  Henry  Wikoff,  or  to  refer  to  Thurlow  Weed 
(whom,  from  his  political  and  editorial  influence  at  Al- 
bany, it  termed  the  State  Barber),  or  the  presence  and 
salutatory  displays  of  the  "  Bouquet  man  "  4  at  all  public 
meetings  of  societies,  etc.  ;  and  on  the  occasion  of  the 
delivery  by  Horace  Greeley  of  a  lecture  in  Philadelphia, 
the  Herald  announced  to  its  readers  that  "  This  eccentric 
genius  delivered  an  address  before  some  literary  society 
at  Hamilton  College  the  other  day,  and  a  pretty  mess  it 
appears  he  made  of  it.  It  was  partly  literary,  philan- 
thropist, Clay,  and  Fourierite.  Horace  had  better  stay 
at  home  and  look  after  his  paper;  he  evidently  was  in 
a  dangerous  state  of  exaltation." 

August.  Captain  James  Hosken  (Lieutenant  R.  N.), 
who  had  commanded  the  steamer  Great  Western,  arrived 
here  for  the  purpose  of  enlisting  some  of  our  capitalists 


416  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

in  organizing  a  company  to  construct  and  operate  a  line 
of  steamers  hence  to  Liverpool  and  return;  the  practica- 
bility of  which  he  supported  by  furnishing  detailed 
exhibits  of  the  receipts  and  expenditures  of  the  Great 
Western  and  of  the  British  Queen.  He  failed  in  his 
mission  and   returned    home. 

September  26.  There  was  a  great  meeting  held  at 
Tammany  Hall  this  evening  to  endorse  the  measure 
before  Congress  relating  to  the  acquisition  of  Texas,  and 
at  it  George  Bancroft,  the  historian,  made  his  debut  both 
as  a  political  and  a  Democratic  speaker.  His  reception  by 
the  meeting  was  of  an  exceptionally  enthusiastic  nature. 

On  the  south-west  corner  of  Trinity  churchyard  was 
the  grave  of  Captain  James  Lawrence,  U.  S.  N.,  who 
was  killed  on  board  the  United  States  frigate  Chesapeake 
in  her  engagement  with  H.  B.  M.  frigate  Shannon.  There 
was  erected  a  shaft  with  a  broken  or  imperfect  capital, 
as  typical  of  his  life,  but  as  the  city  had  provided  a  new 
monument,  the  shaft  was  removed  and  the  new  one 
(August  22)  fronted  on  Broadway. 

In  evidence  of  the  commercial  position  of  the  city  at 
this  period,  there  were  218  sea-going  vessels  in  port  and 
in  service,  and  in  this  year  there  were  50  vessels  built 
here. 

In  the  fall  of  this  year  the  Democratic  party  divided 
in  two  factions;  one  being  designated  by  the  other  as 
"  Barnburners,"  referring  to  the  story  of  the  man  who 
burned  his  barn  to  destroy  the  rats  that  ate  his  grain; 
later  they  were  termed  "  soft  shells,"  and  the  other  fac- 
tion "old  hunkers,"  or  "hard  shells." 

Washington  Market  was  extended  out  to  the  bulkhead 
line,  and  known  as  the  Exterior  or  Country  Market. 

The  boundaries  of  Madison  Square  were  fixed  at 
Twenty-third  and  Twenty-sixth  streets,  and  Fifth  and 
Madison  avenues,  the  area  being  6.82  acres,  a  reduction 
of  73.48  acres  from  the  original  design  of  1814. 


JAMES    HARPER,    MAYOR  417 

In  Broadway  at  412,  near  Lispenard  Street,  there  was 
the  Apollo  Ballroom,  a  very  popular  resort  for  a  grade 
of  politicians  who  were  opposed  to  Tammany  Hall.  In 
later  days  it  was  the  headquarters  of  the  Apollo  Hall  or 
Wood  democracy. 

In  this  year  the  American  Musical  Institute  was 
founded,  under  Mr.  Henry  C.  Timm,  and  Thomas  Clyde 
established  a  line  of  steamers  between  this  port  and  Phila- 
delphia, with  the  steamer  McKim;  not  only  the  second 
•commercial  one,  but  the  first  with  twin  screws — a  type 
now  being  adopted  after  a  lapse  of  very  nearly  half 
a  century. 

December  1,  the  New  York  Hotel  opened  by  Bill- 
ings &  Monnot. 


FIKfc:    BUCKET. 


CHAPTER   XXI 

1845-1846. JAMES  HARPER,    1845  ;    WILLIAM  F.    HAVEMEYER, 

1845-1846,     AND    ANDREW     H.     MICKLE,     1846,    MAYORS 

1845.  In  January  of  this  year  the  Middle  Dutch 
Church,  at  Nassau,  Cedar,  and  Liberty  streets,  was  con- 
verted into  the  Post-office,  and  continued  in  that  use 
until  removal  to  the  present  Post-office  structure  in 
Broadway  and  Park  Row.  January  28,  Broadway  was 
widened  from  Twenty-fifth  to  Forty-fifth  Street. 

January  11,  the  Herald  published  a  list  of  such  of  our 
citizens  as  were  estimated  to  be  worth  $100,000,  and 
above  it,  among  whom  I  select  the  following  :  John  J. 
Astor,  $2,500,000;  Wm.  B.  Astor,  $5,000,000;  Peter  Goe- 
let,  $400,000;  Cornelius  Vanderbilt  and  John  Q.  Jones, 
each,  $250,000;  Spingler  Estate,  $200,000;  and  Philip 
Hone,  $100,000.  This  last  estimate  is  unquestionably 
low,  and  possibly  the  result  of  the  virulence  of  Hone's 
utterances  regarding  the  editor. 

January  24,  a  meeting  of  citizens  was  held  at  Tammany 
Hall  in  favor  of  the  annexation  of  Texas  to  the  United 
States,  which  had  been  the  chief  matter  of  our  politics  for 
a  considerable  period  and  the  subject  of  most  excited 
debate,  and  was  definitely  settled  in  favor  of  the  annexa- 
tion during  the  last  days  of  President  Tyler's  term. 

February  5,  the  offices  of  the  Tribune  were  totally 
destroyed  by  fire.  A  heavy  snowstorm  prevailed,  the 
fire-engines  were  delayed  by  drifts  in  the  streets,  the 
hydrants  were  frozen,  etc.  Under  these  conditions  it 
was  with  great  difficulty  that  the  neighboring  Tammany 
Hall  was  preserved  from  burning. 


JAMES    HARPER,    MAYOR  419 

March  24.  A  brilliant  audience  gathered  at  the  Park 
Theatre  for  the  first  performance  of  Mrs.  Anna  Cora 
Mowatt's  play, "  Fashion,"  which  ran  for  twenty  nights. 

This  spring  Alex.  T.  Stewart,  having  purchased  the 
site  of  Washington  Hall,  at  Broadway  and  Chambers 
Street,  began  the  construction  of  his  extensive  store, 
which  for  a  long  time  outrivalled  all  others.  Stewart 
arrived  here  from  Ireland  in  1823,  and  was  engaged  as  an 
assistant  teacher  in  a  public  school.  Fletcher  Harper,  of 
Harper  &  Bros.,  told  me  he  had  been  a  pupil  of  his.  In 
1824  he  opened  a  small  dry-goods  store  at  283,  in  1827  at 
262,  and  in  1830  at  257,  Broadway.  In  1828  he  or  one  of 
his  salesmen  erroneously  charged  a  lady  customer  with 
having  secreted  some  articles  from  the  counter,  and  as  it 
was  alleged  that  she  was  treated  with  much  inconsidera- 
tion  the  press  took  the  matter  up,  and  so  general  was  the 
verdict  against  Mr.  Stewart  that  it  was  very  questionable 
if  he  would  be  able  to  sustain  himself;  but  the  matter 
lapsed,  and  was  soon  forgotten. 

March  3,  by  Act  of  Congress  the  postage  on  single 
letters  was  reduced  to  five  cents  if  sent  under  three  hun- 
dred miles,  and  over  that  distance  ten  cents.  To  take 
effect  on  and  after  July  1. 

The  Branch  Mint  was  established  in  this  city  in  the 
building  in  Wall  Street  built  and  occupied  by  the  Bank 
of  the  State  of  New  York. 

March  13,  the  Herald  issued  its  first  double  sheet  of 
eight  pages. 

April  4,  a  floating  theatre  was  opened  on  the  North 
River  between  Spring  and  Charlton  streets,  which  had 
but  a  brief  existence. 

April  7,  on  her  passage  from  Albany  to  this  city,  the 
steamboat  Swallow  under  full  speed  ran  upon  Rock 
Island,  broke  in  two,  and  sank.  The  loss  of  life  was 
never  ascertained,  but  it  was  held  to  be  over  fifty. 

April    8.   The    Charter    election    of    this    year   showed 


420  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

another  turn  of  politics.  Mr.  Harper,  the  Native  Ameri- 
can candidate  for  a  repeated  term  of  office,  lost  Whig  sup- 
port in  consequence  of  his  party's  course  toward  Clay  in 
the  preceding  autumn,  and  was  defeated;  receiving  but 
17,485  votes,  while  the  Democratic  candidate,  Mr.  Have- 
meyer,  had  24,307,  and  the  "  straight "  Whig  vote  rose  to 
7032.  In  1846,  moreover,  the  Whig  vote  was  15,256, 
while  the  Native  American  fell  away  to-  8372,  the  Demo- 
cratic plurality  remaining  at  about  7000. 

April  10,  Mrs.  Polly  Bodine,  who  was  indicted  for  the 
murder  of  a  Mrs.  Housman  and  her  daughter,  and  setting 
fire  to  their  house  on  Staten  Island  in  order  that  by  the 
incineration  of  the  bodies  of  her  victims  the  murder 
would  not  be  recognized,  was  tried  in  this  city  before 
Judge  Edwards.  District  Attorney  Jas.  R.  Whiting, 
assisted  by  D.  A.  Clark  of  Staten  Island,  conducted  the 
prosecution,  and  the  defence  was  by  David  Graham  and 
Clinton  De  Witt.  The  accused  had  previously  been 
twice  tried  on  Staten  Island,  but  in  consequence  of  local 
and  family  interests,  etc.,  the  juries  had  failed  to  agree; 
hence  a  new  trial  was  held  here.  It  occupied  the  Court 
for  twenty-one  days,  the  judge's  charge  filled  four  and 
one-half  columns  of  the  Herald.  Bodine  was  declared  to 
be  guilty  of  murder;  was  again  arraigned  under  a  new 
trial  in  November  before  Judge  Edmunds,  and  failing  to 
obtain  a  jury,  the  case  was  transferred  to  a  Court  at  New- 
burgh,  where  she  was  tried  and  the  jury  acquitted  her. 

April  25,  the  steamboat  Empire,  of  the  New  York  and 
Albany  Line,  on  her  passage  to  this  city  in  a  dense  fog, 
ran  into  the  pier,  solid  ballasted  crib  work,  at  the  foot  of 
Nineteenth  Street,  for  the  full  length  of  twenty  feet.  A 
report  of  the  occurrence  was  held  to  be  so  wholly  at 
variance  with  the  generally  entertained  opinion  as  to  the 
practicability  of  such  a  result  that  many  persons  pro- 
ceeded to  the  pier  and  measured  the  distance.  The  effect 
of  such  an  impact  upon  like  work  is  to  this  day  a  marvel 


WILLIAM    F.    HAVEMEYER,    MAYOR  42  I 

with  many;  not  recognizing  that  the  impact  of  even  a 
light  body  at  a  high  velocity  maybe  superior  to  the  static 
resistance  of  a  denser  one,  as  illustrated  in  the  projection 
of  an  inch  of  tallow  candle  from  an  ordinary  fowling-piece 
through  a  pine  board  one  inch  thick. 

The  Bowery  Theatre  was  burned  for  the  fourth  time, 
at  6  p.  m.  ;  E.  L.  Davenport's  benefit  being  advertised  for 
that  evening.  It  might  seem  from  the  frequency  of  such 
conjunctions  that  benefit  announcements  had  some  occult 
connection  with  fires  in  theatres. 

May  13.  The  great  horse  race  between  Wm.  Gibbons' 
"  Fashion,"  entered  by  Samuel  Laird,  8  years  old  and 
carrying  122  pounds,  and  R.  Ten  Broeck's  "  Peytona,"  6 
years,  carrying  115  pounds,  designated  as  that  of  the 
North  against  the  South,  for  ten  thousand  dollars  a  side, 
was  run  at  four-mile  heats  at  the  Union  Course,  L.  I.  So 
great  was  the  interest  in  this  race  that  it  was  attended 
by  men  from  all  parts  of  the  Union,  and  the  attendance 
on  the  day  of  the  race  was  superior  in  numbers  to  that 
of  the  Eclipse  and  Sir  Henry  race  in  1823.  The  Her- 
ald published  an  extra  between  the  heats.  Peytona, 
representing  the  South,  won;  first  heat,  7  minutes  39^ 
seconds;  second  heat,  7  minutes  45 ^  seconds. 

In  May  died,  very  suddenly,  Robert  C.  Cornell,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Farmers'  Loan  and  Trust  Company,  a  man 
very  eminent  for  works  of  charity. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Stephen  H.  Tyng  accepted  the  call  to  St. 
George's  Church,  to  succeed  the  Rev.  Dr.  Milnor. 

Grace  Church,  at  the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Rector 
Street,  was  sold  for  sixty-five  thousand  dollars;  the  pres- 
ent structure  at  Tenth  Street  was  then  in  progress. 

May  28,  another  and  a  third  contest  between  the 
North  and  the  South  for  the  supremacy  of  the  turf,  be- 
tween William  Gibbon's  "Fashion,"  entered  by  Samuel 
Laird,  and  R.  Ten  Broeck's  "Peytona"  came  off  at  four- 
mile   heats  for  the  Jockey  Club  purse  at  LTnion  Course, 


422  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

L.  I.,  which  was  won  by  the  former  in  7  minutes  and 
48  seconds,  and  7  minutes  and  57  seconds.  The  entire 
racing  and  sporting  population  of  the  country  was  again 
interested,  and  the  attendance  was  very  great. 

In  illustration  of  the  publication  and  sale  of  daily 
papers  at  this  time,  the  Herald  gave  a  sworn  statement 
of  its  publication  for  the  month  of  June  and  an  esti- 
mate of  that  of  six  other  leading  papers.  Thus:  daily 
average  of  Herald  11,501,  and  13,266  for  the  others  com- 
bined. 

June  13,  Mrs.  Mowatt  appeared  for  the  first  time  on 
any  stage,  at  the  Park  Theatre,  as  Pauline,  in  ''The  Lady 
of  Lyons,"  with  success  as  extraordinary  as  were  the  con- 
ditions under  which  it  was  achieved,  for  it  was  said  that 
her  appearance  was  but  three  weeks  after  she  had  resolved 
(for  financial  reasons)  to  go  upon  the  stage;  that  she  had 
but  one  rehearsal  of  her  part;  and  never  had  been  behind 
the  scenes  till  the  day  before  the  production  of  her  own 
play,  "Fashion." 

Her  last  appearance  on  the  stage  was  at  Niblo's,  June 
3,  1854,  on  occasion  of  a  complimentary  benefit  arranged 
for  her  by  some  of  the  first  citizens  of  New  York.  She 
then  played  Pauline.  Her  marriage  to  Mr.  W.  F.  Ritchie 
of  Richmond,  Va.,  followed  almost  immediately.  She 
died  abroad,  in  1870. 

July  12,  the  passage  from  Boston  here  via  Long  Island 
Railroad  was  accomplished  in  9^  hours,  which  was  so 
exceptional  that  it  was  noticed  in  the  papers  of  the  fol- 
lowing day. 

The  organization  of  the  New  York  Yacht  Club  being 
effected,  the  flag  of  the  Club  designed  by  Captain  Rob- 
inson was  adopted,  and  the  house  in  Elysian  Fields  at 
Hoboken  assigned  as  the  headquarters.  The  course  of 
the  annual  prize  races  for  the  Club  was  first  from  off  the 
Elysian  Fields  to  a  buoy  off  Staten  Island,  then  across 
to  Owl's  Head,  L.  I.,  and  back  to  the  point  of  starting. 


WILLIAM    F.    HAVEMEYER,   MAYOR  423 

Later,  the  courses  extended  to  the  southwest  Spit;  then 
from  Quarantine,  Staten  Island,  and  from  buoy  off  Hoff- 
man Island  around  the  Sandy  Hook  lightship. 

July  17.  The  first  regatta  of  the  Club  occurred  this 
day;  the  contestants  being  the  Gimcrack,  John  C. 
Stevens,  Commodore;  Sprays  J.  H.  Wilkes,  Vice-com- 
modore; Cygnet,  Wm.  Edgar;  Minna,  Jas.  Waterbury; 
La  Coquille,  John  C.  Jay;  Syren,  Wm.  Miller;  Sybil,  Chas. 
Miller;  Mist,  Louis  Depau;  Dream,  Geo.  L.  Schuyler; 
Lancet,  Geo.  Robbins;  Adda,  Captain  Roberts;  Northern 
Light,  Wm.  P.  Winchester;  Ianthe,  Geo.  Cadwallader; 
Newburgh,  Captain  Robinson.  The  tonnage  of  these 
vessels  ranged  from  17  to  45,  one  only  exceeding  that; 
the  Newburgh  being  72  tons.     The  Cygnet  won  the  prize. 

July  19,  the  great  fire  of  1845  began  about  daybreak 
in  a  warehouse  on  New  Street.  It  was  apparently  well 
under  control  when  a  vast  explosion  occurred,  by  which 
several  lives  were  lost;  neighboring  buildings  were  over- 
thrown, and  flames  were  communicated  in  every  direction. 
In  two  hours  150  buildings  were  aflame,  and  before  the 
devastation  could  be  checked  almost  the  whole  district 
bounded  by  Broadway  from  below  Stone  Street  to  above 
Exchange  Place,  inclusive  of  a  part  of  the  west  front 
above  Morris  Street,  the  fronts  on  Exchange  Place  to 
beyond  Broad  Street,  the  fronts  on  Broad  Street  down  to 
Stone  Street,  and  the  fronts  on  Stone  Street  from  there 
to  Broadway  were  destroyed.  The  loss  was  computed  at 
six  million  dollars,  and  this  involved  the  failure  of  some  of 
the  most  approved  insurance  companies.  Nevertheless, 
rebuilding  at  once  began;  new  buildings  rising  while  yet 
the  flames  were  playing  among  the  mounds  of  ruin  and 
the  old  materials  to  be  cleared  away  were  too  hot  to  be 
taken  in  the  bare  hands  of  the  workmen. 

Telegraphic  communication  was  established  between 
New  York  and  Philadelphia. 

June  18,  George  W.  Matsell  was  appointed  Chief  of  the 


424  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

Police.  The  number  of  policemen  at  this  time  was  fixed 
at  eight  hundred,  and  the  question  of  the  further  non- 
licensing  of  booths  around  the  park  for  the  evening  and 
day  of  the  Fourth  was  entertained  by  the  Common 
Council,  and  negatived  by  a  small  majority. 

August  10,  arrived  at  the  port  the  steamer  Great 
Britain,  called  the  "monster  of  the  ocean,"  since  she 
was  322  feet  long,  with  a  capacity  of  three  thousand  tons. 
The  peculiar  interest  in  her,  however,  was  from  the  fact 
that  she  was  a  screw  steamer,  and  built  of  iron. 

Bowery  Theatre  rebuilt  and  opened. 

Wm.  C.  H.  Waddell  in  this  year  constructed  a  resi- 
dence on  Fifth  Avenue,  between  Thirty-seventh  and 
Thirty-eighth  streets  (where  the  "Brick  Church," 
formerly  located  on  Beekman  Street  and  Park  Row,  now 
is),  on  the  natural  level  of  the  ground,  which  was  several 
feet  above  the  city  grade.  While  he  was  engaged  in 
making  the  purchase  of  the  plot  of  ground  it  is  related 
that  his  wife,  who  accompanied  him,  rested  under  an 
apple  tree  by  the  wayside.  He  furnished  his  house  with 
expensive  elegance,  and  later  (1846),  as  fancy-dress 
balls  were  essayed  by  several  parties,  Mrs.  Waddell  gave 
one  which  was  followed  by  one  of  Mrs.  Schermerhorn's; 
the  guests  being  required  to  appear  in  the  style  of  dress 
of  the  French  Court  of  Louis  XV. 

The  Almshouse  at  Bellevue,  which  was  enlarged  in 
1818  by  the  purchase  of  adjoining  land,  was  in  this 
year  removed  to  Blackwell's  Island.  The  land  that  had 
been  purchased  by  the  Corporation  for  it  was  now  sold; 
whereupon  the  owners  of  the  land  purchased  by  the 
Corporation  claimed  the  money  received  by  it  for  the 
sale,  on  the  plea  that  the  land  had  not  been  taken  for 
public  use,  and  consequently  the  Act  of  1818,  by  which 
the  land  had  been  purchased,  was  unconstitutional.  The 
Court  decided  adversely  to  the  claimants,  and  the  Court 
of  Appeals  affirmed  the  decision. 


WILLIAM    F.    HAVEMEYER,    MAYOR  425 

The  existing  law  regarding  the  pilots  of  our  harbor 
having  been  abolished  by  Act  of  Legislature,  the  oppor- 
tunity was  open  to  any  one  who  either  had  the  capacity 
or  temerity  to  undertake  piloting,  and,  as  a  very  natural 
result,  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  drafted  a  law  having 
in  purpose  the  arrest  of  the  evil,  in  which  it  was  provided 
there  were  to  be  three  Commissioners  to  be  appointed, 
one  each  by  the  Chamber,  the  Board  of  Marine  Under- 
writers, and  the  Pilots;  which  provision  was  so  much 
opposed  by  the  pilots  that  they  submitted  a  draft  of  a 
law.  This  controversy  was  finally  settled  by  the  passage 
of  a  law  alike  to  that  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce. 
Congress  having  authorized  any  pilots  who  were  citizens 
of  Xew  Jersey  to  act  as  such  77V?  Sandy  Hook,  a  fierce 
rivalry  and  contention  arose  between  them  and  those 
from  the  city;  but  after  many  years  of  contest,  the  two 
associations  joined  fellowship. 

September  5,  John  B.  Gough,  a  reformed  inebriate 
and  notorious  lecturer  on  temperance,  disappeared  from 
home  and  friends,  and  on  the  12th  was  found  in  a  house 
in  Walker  Street,  where  he  had  lain  drunk  for  the  entire 
week. 

October.  The  Olympic  opened.  "Don  Caesar  de 
Bazan  "  was  here  produced  for  the  first  time  in  this 
country,  a  week  earlier  than  at  the  Park.  This  was  a 
very  bright  and  varied  season  at  the  Olympic;  burlesques 
and  travesties,  farces,  comedies,  and  fairy  pieces,  were 
profusely  offered  until  the  house  closed  in  May  of  the 
next  year. 

The  population  of  the  city  in  this  month  was  ascer- 
tained to  be  366,785. 

September  15,  the  Massachusetts ;  built  by  the  Messrs. 
Forbes  of  Massachusetts  and  one  of  the  first  sea-fitted 
merchantmen  having  a  screw  propeller,  left  for  a  south- 
ern voyage. 

October.  A  Mr.  Wm.  L.  Mackenzie  published  a  book 
14* 


426  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

which  elicited  much  attention  and  comment,  as  it 
gave  private  correspondence,  said  to  be  surreptitiously 
obtained,  to  which  that  of  John  Van  Buren,  Benj.  F. 
Butler  (of  New  York),  Jesse  Hoyt,  and  many  other 
well-known  and  prominent  Democrats  and  officials,  was 
added. 

An  association  of  dry  goods  merchants  decided  to 
construct  a  block  of  stores  in  William  Street,  between 
John  and  Fulton  streets,  with  a  view  to  remove  their 
business  there,  which  they  effected,  though  but  for  a  few 
years. 

Spofford,  Tileston  &  Co.  concluded  the  contracts  for 
constructing  a  line  of  steamers  to  ply,  in  the  early  spring, 
hence  to  Charleston,  S.  C,  and  back. 

Gramercy  Park,  a  part  of  the  Gramercy  farm,  was 
defined  and  presented  by  Samuel  B.  Ruggles  to  the 
owners  of  the  lots   fronting  thereon. 

The  steamer  Virginia,  of  four  hundred  tons'  burthen, 
which  had  been  fitted  by  Jas.  P.  Allaire  with  engines,, 
boilers,  and  the  vertical  water-wheels  of  E.  T.  Aldrich, 
the  blades  of  which  were  submerged  below  the  bottom 
of  the  hull,  was  experimented  with;  the  projector  of  the 
essay  having  an  agreement  with  a  seafaring  party  here 
that,  if  the  application  was  successful,  he  would  pay  for 
her  and  put  her  upon  the  route  hence  to  Liverpool. 
The  conditions  of  the  agreement  were  neither  fulfilled 
nor  demanded. 

1846.  William  Street,  from  Maiden  Lane  to  Chatham, 
was  widened,  and  the  widening  of  Broadway  from 
Twenty-fifth   to   Forty-fifth   Street  was  continued. 

February  14.  A  great  gale  occurring,  ten  vessels  were 
stranded  on  Squan  Beach,  and  from  one  of  them  one  of 
the  oldest  and  most  respected  pilots,  of  the  name  of 
Freeborn,  was  drowned. 

February.  Grace  Church,  Broadway  corner  of  Tenth 
Street,   being  about  completed,  some   of  its  pews   were 


WILLIAM    F.    HAVEMEYER,    MAYOR  427 

sold  in  addition  to  a  rent  on  the  Yalue  of  them;  the  prices 
ranging  from  twelve  to  fourteen  hundred  dollars,  equal 
to  from  three  to  four  dollars  per  Sunday. 

February  24.  In  the  previous  year  an  association  of 
gentlemen  organized  for  the  construction  and  operation 
of  a  racket  court,  and  having  obtained  premises  on 
Broadway,  almost  immediately  above  Xiblo's  Garden, 
constructed  a  court  with  the  attendants'  rooms  and  con- 
veniences, and  this  day  it  was  opened  with  a  large  and 
distinguished  company  of  guests  and  their  ladies.  The 
entertainment  was  a  dejeuner,  music,  and  dancing. 

On  March  10  was  laid  the  corner-stone  of  Calvary 
Church  at  Fourth  Avenue  and  Twenty-first  Street. 

March  25.  The  public  was  surprised  this  day  to  learn 
that  the  magnificent  packet  ship  Henry  Clay,  Captain  Nye, 
of  Grinnell,  Minturn  &  Co.'s  line  of  Liverpool  packets, 
was  ashore  at  Squan  Beach,  and  particularly  so,  as  neither 
weather  nor  the  experience,  and  uniform  success  of  the 
captain  seemed  to  justify  the  circumstance.  On  the 
14th  of  the  month  following  the  vessel  was  floated,  and 
brought  up  to  the  city,  and  in  justice  to  her  owners  and 
builders  it  is  cited  that  for  twenty  days,  mostly  in  stormy 
weather,  she  lay  "broadside  to  "  on  a  beach,  was  hauled 
off,  repaired,  and  refitted  for  efficient  service. 

So  much  for  the  ship,  but  as  regards  the  captain,  the 
case  is  different;  and  it  is  thus  met:  he  had  for  a  long 
period  been  in  command  of  the  same  vessel,  the  Independ- 
ence, and  he  was  so  cognizant  of  her  speed  when  looking 
over  her  side  that  he  rarely  "logged"  her.  When  he 
assumed  command  of  the  Henry  Clay,  a  much  larger 
vessel,  it  did  not  occur  to  him  that  her  deck  was  higher 
than  that  of  his  former  vessel,  and  that  an  estimate  of 
the  speed  of  the  one  would  not  apply  to  the  other,  as  the 
higher  an  observer  is  above  the  water  the  less  the 
apparent  velocity.  As  a  consequence  of  this  neglect  of 
consideration  on  his  part,  his  estimate  of  the  speed  of  his 


428  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

vessel  brought  her  up  on  the  Jersey  shore,  when  he 
thought  she  was  off  Long  Island.  The  fact  that  such  a 
vessel  could  be  subjected  to  such  a  stress  with  but 
moderate  damage  is  a  striking  proof  of  the  excellent 
quality  of  ship-building  work  in  our  yards.  And  as  for 
the  speed  of  the  ships:  the  Rainbow,  belonging  to  How- 
land  &  Aspinwall,  arrived  at  this  port  on  April  17,  com- 
pleting thus  two  voyages  to  and  from  Canton  within 
fourteen  months. 

At  this  date  the  Mexican  war  was  imminent,  and  Presi- 
dent Polk  presently  announced  that  a  state  of  war 
actually  existed,  and  called  for  men  and  money.  Scarcely 
had  Congress  responded  with  the  required  grant  when 
news  was  received  of  fighting,  and  of  General  Zachary 
Taylor's  early  victories.  A  new  generation  had  come 
upon  the  stage  of  active  life  since  we  had  been  engaged 
in  war,  and  all  the  intelligence  from  Mexico  was  received 
with  breathless  attention  by  our  public. 

The  legislature  ordered  the  assembling  of  a  convention 
to  submit  to  it  a  new  charter  for  the  city,  to  be  voted 
upon  at  the  State  election  in  November,  which,  upon 
being  submitted,  was  defeated  by  a  very  decisive  vote. 

May  21,  being  Ascension  Day  in  this  year,  the  new 
Trinity  Church  was  consecrated  with  great  solemnity.  A 
long  procession  of  bishops,  clergy,  and  lay  dignitaries  of 
various  degree  marched  to  the  church,  where  the  conse- 
cration office  was  said  by  Bishop  McCoskry,  at  that  time 
in  charge  of  the  diocese.  This  scene  is  represented  in  a 
panel  of  one  of  the  bronze  doors  opening  from  the  south 
porch  of  the  church.  The  first  church  on  this  site  was 
begun  in  1696,  finished  in  1697.  The  third  (and  present) 
building  still  remains,  after  half  a  century,  the  most  har- 
moniously beautiful  church  in  New  York.  See  Chapter 
IX  for  record  of  church. 

June  1,  the  convention  appointed  to  review  and 
submit    a  new   constitution  for  the  State    met,  and   when 


ANDREW    H.    MICKLE,    MAYOR  429 

the  Constitution  was  completed  and  submitted  to  the 
people,  it  was  adopted  by  a  large  majority.  Essential 
and  much  discussed  provisions  of  it  were  the  election  of 
our  judges,  instead  of  their  appointment  by  the  Governor 
and  Senate,  and  the  abolishment  of  property  qualifications 
for  the  voting  of  white  persons. 

The  new  store  of  A.  T.  Stewart  was  completed  in  this 
year. 

In  September  died  James  Swords,  aged  eighty-two,  the 
latest  surviving  partner  of  the  oldest  booksellers'  and 
publishers'  firm  in  New  York;  and  in  the  next  month 
Abraham  Ogden,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one,  president  of 
the  Orient  Insurance  Co.,  and  a  highly  respected  citizen. 

November  16,  the  steamboat  Atlantic  fr om  New  London, 
bound  here,  encountered  a  severe  gale  from  the  north- 
west, and  in  a  heavy  swell  the  steampipe  from  her  boilers 
to  her  steam-chest  was  ruptured  and  her  engine  became 
useless.  An  anchor  was  cast,  but  it  fouled,  and  a  second, 
a  light  one,  being  absurdly  insufficient  to  hold  her,  she 
drifted  eastward,  and  stranded  on  the  north  side  of 
Fisher's  Island.  Captain  Dustan  and  thirty  of  her  pas- 
sengers and  crew  were  lost. 

She  was  the  "  show  "  steamboat  of  her  time.  Frantic 
efforts  were  made  to  transfer  heavier  anchors  to  her 
from  sailing  craft,  but  the  weather  was  too  heavy  to 
permit  the  success  of  these  endeavors.  After  the 
steamer  struck  Fisher's  Island,  she  took  a  list,  just  so 
that  all  through  the  night,  while  so  many  lives  were 
being  dashed  out  of  existence  on  the  heaped  bowlders 
of  this  point  of  the  Island,  her  bell  tolled  regularly 
with   each   shock  of  the  waves. 

The  faulty,  if  not  criminal  custom  of  equipping  Ameri- 
can steamers  and  steamboats  with  but  one  heavy  (?)  and 
one  light  anchor,  and  with  short  ranges  of  chain,  was 
fatally  illustrated  in  this  case.  But  one  heavy  anchor, 
fouling  or  in  bad  holding-ground,  is  of  no  avail,  and  if  it  is 


43° 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


insufficient,  it   is  rarely  that  the  second  and  lighter  will 
meet  the  deficiency. 

In  Europe  a  steamer  would  not  be  held  to  be  seaworthy 
without  both  bower  anchors  being  of  equal  and  sufficient 
weight,  supplemented  by  a   stream-anchor  and  kedges; 


IMS. 


the  anchor  attached  to  a  range  of  chain  nearly  twice 
that  usually,  if  not  universally,  carried  by  our  steamers. 

In  this  year  St.  Luke's  Hospital  was  instituted  through 
the  zealous  labors  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  W.  A.  Muhlenberg. 
Also,  all  property  qualifications  in  connection  with  the 
right  of  political  suffrage  were  abolished. 

The  Prison  Association  of  New  York  was  incorporated. 
Its  objects,  the  improvement  of  the  penal  system,  ameli- 
oration of  the  condition  of  prisoners,  and  the  aiding  of 
reformed  convicts  after  their  discharge. 


CHAPTER    XXII 

1847-1848. ANDREW        H.        MICKLE,        1847;       WILLIAM       V. 

BRADY,       1847-1848;         AND      WILLIAM       F.       HAVEMEYER, 
1848,      MAYORS 

January  13,  members  of  the  Sketch  Club  (established 
in  1827),  with  a  few  of  their  friends  invited  to  join  them 
for  the  purpose,  founded  the  Century,  which  has  ever 
remained  a  club  of  peculiar  distinction.  For  two  years 
the  Century  occupied  rooms  at  495  Broadway,  removing 
in  1849  to  435  Broome  Street,  and  again  in  the  next  year 
to  575  Broadway.  From  May,  1852,  it  occupied  the 
house  No.  24  Clinton  Place,  until  in  the  spring  of  1857  it 
removed  to  its  house  Xo.  109  (old  Xo.  42)  East  Fifteenth 
Street,  remaining  there  till  (1892)  it  took  possession  of 
the  beautiful  new  house  now  occupied  at  X"o.  7  West 
Forty-third  Street. 

January  28,  a  party  at  Mr.  Robert  Ray's  attracted  all 
the  fashion  of  the  city  and  was  the  subject  of  remark, 
not  only  for  the  splendor  of  the  entertainment,  but 
because  the  new  house  was  so  far  uptown.  It  stood  at 
the  corner  of  Twenty-eighth  Street  and  Ninth  Avenue, 
being  the  house  lately  removed  (1894)  from  the  place  it 
had  dignified  with  its  fine  proportions. 

The  enlargement  of  the  Erie  Canal  was  commenced  in 
this  year  and  completed  in  1862,  the  cost  of  which  was 
six  times  that  of  the  original,  at  its  opening  in  1825;  and 
up   to   1856   reached   $7,143,759,   or  a   total,   to   1862,  of 

$52,49',9'5-74. 

April.  The  old  Richmond  Hill  Theatre  was  rebuilt 
and  renamed  the  Greenwich. 


432  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

In  May  Julia  Dean  appeared  at  the  Bowery  as  Julia 
in  "The  Hunchback."  She  was  a  beautiful  woman, 
modest,  intelligent,  painstaking,  and  deservedly  popular. 

February  7,  died  James  Roosevelt,  eighty-seven  years 
of  age,  much  respected;  the  son  of  Isaac,  who  was  one  of 
the  original  directors  and  president  of  the  first  of  our 
banks. 

In  this  month  much  activity  was  shown  in  the  relief  of 
the  Irish  sufferers  from  famine;  a  great  meeting  was 
held  on  the  16th  at  the  Broadway  Tabernacle,  and  by 
March  1  the  Relief  Committee  had  received  more  than 
fifty  thousand  dollars.  Alexander  T.  Stewart  char- 
tered and  furnished  a  ship  loaded  with  provisions  for 
the  relief  of  the  suffering  people,  and,  if  I  mistake  not, 
that  munificent  citizen,  the  late  Eugene  Kelly,  did  a 
like  act. 

News  of  General  Taylor's  striking  victory  of  Buena 
Vista  was  received  on  March  31,  and  May  7  was  ordered 
by  the  authorities  as  a  day  of  rejoicing  for  this  victory 
and  the  later  capture  of  Vera  Cruz  by  a  combined  bom- 
bardment of  the  Army  and  Navy,  the  former  under 
General  Scott,  and  the  latter  under  Commodore  Perry. 
This  was  a  most  brilliant/^';  the  city  was  thronged  with 
visitors  and  seemed  covered  with  flags,  under  which  a 
great  military  procession  took  its  way,  greeted  by  the 
triumphant  voice  of  cannon.  A  general  illumination  in 
the  evening  was  witnessed  by  even  greater  crowds  than 
had  attended  the  daylight  observances.  Scarcely  was 
this  celebration  over  when  news  arrived  of  Scott's  victory 
of  Cerro  Gordo,  the  rout  of  the  Mexican  army,  and  the 
flight  of  General  Santa  Anna;  the  capture  of  the  Mexican 
general's  wooden  leg  adding  to  the  hilarity  of  our  people 
over  a  success  so  great. 

May  22,  Stone  Street  was  widened  from  Whitehall  to 
Broad  Street. 

June    1,   the    steamer    Washington  left  for   Liverpool; 


WILLIAM    V.    BRADY,   MAYOR 


433 


she  was  the  first  American  steamship  to  cross  the  ocean 
in  the  mail  and  passenger  service. 

About  the  first  of  June  a  steamboat  race  occurred 
between  the  Commodore  Vanderbilt,  owned  by  him,  and 
the  Oregon,  owned  by 
George  Law,  from  New 
York  up  the  river  to 
Croton  Point,  and  re- 
turn. The  Oregon  won, 
covering  the  distance 
of  seventy-five  miles  in 
three  hours  and  a  quar- 
ter. The  interest  in 
this  race  was  greater 
than  any  ever  mani- 
fested here;  far  in  ad- 
vance of  that  shown  in 
the  races  of  the  Albany 
Line  boats  or  the  HigJi- 
l under  and  Robert  L. 
Stevens;  it  was  equal  to 
that  of  the  later  con- 
tests between  the  R.  E. 
Lee  and  Natchez,  from 
New  Orleans  to  St. 
Louis.  In  order  to  re- 
duce the  draught  of 
the  vessels  they  were 
docked,  the  bottoms  cleaned;  furniture,  ornaments,  and 
all  unnecessary  articles  were  taken  on  shore;  and  pre- 
vious to  the  day  of  the  race  the  Oregon's  inner  bottom 
(that  is,  between  her  frames)  was  freed  of  water  by 
sponges  where  it  could  not  be  reached  by  dippers.  In 
unison  with  this  regard  of  lessening  of  draught  of  water, 
the  necessary  supply  of  coal  was  carefully  estimated;  but 
in  the  case  of  the  Oregon  it  fell  short  when  near  the  end 


3TUYVESANT  PEAK-TREE,  NORTH-EAST 
CORNER  OF  THIRTEENTH  STREET  AND 
THIRD    AVENUE 


434  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

of  the  course,  and  every  loose  article  that  could  be 
spared,  together  with  some  joinery,  was  sacrificed  to  feed 
the  fires. 

Commodore  Vanderbilt  was  much  disappointed;  the 
loss  of  the  money  was  not  considered:  it  was  the  one  who 
had  defeated  him.  He  bore  his  defeat  manfully,  how- 
ever, but  in  relating  to  me  how  he  was  defeated  he 
evinced  his  feeling.  It  was  to  him  what  Moscow  in  the 
Russian  campaign  was  to  Napoleon — his  first  defeat. 

July  27,  George  Kirk,  a  slave  who  had  absconded  from 
his  master  in  Georgia,  upon  being  claimed  as  a  fugitive, 
was  taken  before  Judge  Edmonds,  who  ordered  his  re- 
lease. The  assemblage  of  negroes  on  this  occasion  was 
without  precedent;  the  streets  leading  to  the  Court- 
house were  blocked  by  vociferous  and  excited  crowds. 

July  30,  Christ  Church  in  Ann  Street  burned  and 
destroyed. 

August  6.  Peter  G.  Stuyvesant  died,  a  man  closely 
concerned  with  the  best  social  life  of  New  York,  the 
representative  of  an  enduring  "  Knickerbocker"  family, 
and  possessor  of  a  great  colonial  estate.  This  reminds 
me  that  the  Stuyvesant  pear-tree,  then  and  for  years 
afterward  standing  at  the  north-east  corner  of  Third  Ave- 
nue and  Thirteenth  Street,  had  reached  the  age  of  two 
hundred  years  in  May,  and  therefore  became  an  object  of 
perhaps  peculiar  regard,  though  it  had  long  been  viewed 
as  an  interesting  relic.  This  tree  was  brought  from 
Holland  by  Governor  Stuyvesant  and  planted  with  his 
own  hands  on  his  farm,  in  the  place  where  it  stood  until 
its  lamented  fall.  About  1835  it  was  protected  by  a  stout 
wooden  railing,  which  afterward  gave  place  to  one  of 
iron,  in  which  condition  the  venerable  tree  will  be  well 
remembered  by  many  of  my  readers,  for  it  flourished  at 
least  so  lately  as  the  year  1867. 

In  mid-September  arrived  news  of  General  Scott's 
victory  of  Cherubusco,  the  first  in  the  series  of  his  sue- 


WILLIAM    V.    BRADY,    MAYOR  435 

cesses  under  the  walls  of  the  City  of  Mexico,  gained 
against  enormous  odds  of  numbers.  The  public  excite- 
ment oYer  the  bulletins  was  very  great  and  perhaps 
specially  in  New  York,  many  of  whose  sons  were  with 
Scott's  army. 

September  18,  in  the  morning  the  Bowery  Theatre  was 
wholly  consumed  by  fire.  Gabriel  RaYel's  benefit  was 
announced  for  the  e\'ening — another  instance  of  the  ap- 
parent connection  between  benefits  and  fires. 

September  25,  died  Major  William  Popham,  aged 
ninety-fiYe,  last  sur\-i\ing  original  member  of  the  Society 
of  the  Cincinnati,  a  man  who  had  serYed  his  country  well, 
and  whose  person  and  gentle,  amiable  character  were 
long  regarded  with  affectionate  veneration  by  his  fellow- 
citizens  of  the  town  which  he  had  seen  to  increase  from 
a  village  of  perhaps  twelve  thousand  inhabitants  to  a  city 
of  near  half-a-million. 

October  19,  the  corner-stone  of  a  monument  of  Wash- 
ington was  laid  in  Hamilton  Square  on  Lenox  Hill  ;  but 
the  monument  never  was  raised. 

The  Hamburg-American  Packet  Co.,  hence  to  Ham- 
burg, was  established. 

The  Twenty-seventh  Regiment  of  State  militia  was 
reorganized  as  the  Seventh. 

At  the  end  of  October  came  intelligence  of  the  victories 
of  Molino  del  Rey  and  Chapultepec,  and  General  Scott's 
triumphant  entry  into  the  City  of  Mexico.  Besides  the 
personal  interest  in  the  fortunes  of  individuals  in  our 
army  this  news  was  most  important  in  the  general  or 
political  sense,  bringing  in  near  view  the  close  of  the  war, 
which  in  fact  was  speedily  ended  thereafter;  the  treaty 
of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo  being  signed  on  February  2,  next 
ensuing. 

New  York  was  very  deeply  concerned  in  the  conduct 
of  this  war.  It  was  a  New  Yorker,  Commodore  John 
Drake  Sloat,  who  with  his  ship  outraced  the  British  and 


436  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

insured  our  occupation  of  California  by  raising  the 
American  flag  at  Monterey.  General  William  J.  Worth 
was  a  mainstay  of  General  Scott  through  all  of  his  brill- 
iant campaign.  The  monument  now  standing  opposite 
the  west  side  of  Madison  Square  records  his  deeds. 
General  John  E.  Wool,  after  serving  in  the  field  during 
the  earlier  part  of  the  war,  was  afterward  most  efficient 
in  forwarding  troops.  He  sent  twelve  thousand  men, 
fully  equipped,  within  six  weeks.  Philip  Kearny,  a 
native  of  this  city,  was  the  first  man  to  enter  the  gates 
of  the  City  of  Mexico,  and  in  the  list  of  those  most 
famed  for  gallant  conduct  in  action  were  the  names  of 
Hamilton,  Schuyler,  Morris,  Thorn,  Graham,  and  others 
of  New  York's  leading  families. 

At  the  end  of  this  year  the  managers  of  the  Cunard 
Line  found  it  necessary  to  abandon  their  purpose  of 
making  Boston  their  sole  American  port,  and  began  to 
send  half  of  their  ships  to  New  York.  A  meeting  of 
merchants  was  convened  for  the  purpose  of  giving  a 
welcome  to  the  commander  of  the  Hibernia,  the  first 
Cunarder  in  the  New  York  service. 

In  1843  the  Hibernia  had  been  added  to  the  line,  and 
in  1845  the  Cambria.  In  1847  tne  British  Government 
required  a  double  service  and  increased  the  compensa- 
tion to  ^173,340  sterling  per  annum.  To  comply  with 
this  requirement  four  new  steamers  were  built,  viz.  : 
America,  Niagara,  Canada,  and  Europa,  in  1850  they 
were  followed  by  the  Asia  and  in  1852  by  the  Arabia,  all 
of  which  from  the  first  to  the  last,  had  been  and  were 
side-wheelers.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  year  four  iron 
screw-propeller  vessels  were  added,  viz.:  Australian,  Syd- 
ney, Andes,  and  Alps,  they  being  the  first  fitted  with 
accommodations  for  emigrants.  In  1856  the  company 
responded  to  the  prejudice  of  its  patrons  and  con- 
structed the  side-wheeler  Persia;  subsequently  to  this 
the   Scotia  was  built,  which    vessel    reduced   the   passage 


WILLIAM    V.    BRADY,   MAYOR  437 

between  Liverpool  and  this  port  to  eight  days  and 
twenty-two  hours.  As  many  saloon  passengers  now  leave 
Liverpool  in  one  week  of  an  autumn  month  as  were 
carried  in  the  whole  of  the  first  year  of  the  operation  of 
the  line. 

An  event  then  of  concern  to  many  New  Yorkers  was 
the  reduction  at  this  time  of  the  fixed  term  of  service 
for  (volunteer)  firemen  from  seven  to  five  years.  In 
1816  a  period  of  service  had  been  first  established,  to 
allow  to  the  firemen  exemption  from  jury  and  military 
duty.  The  required  term  at  first  was  ten  years.  In 
1829  it  was  reduced  to  seven  years,  and  now  the  further 
reduction  to  five  years  met  with  general  approval,  for 
this  exemption  was  the  only  substantial  reward  received 
for  their  difficult  and  valuable  service  by  the  rank  and  file, 
though  the  chief  engineer  of  the  department  received  a 
salary,  and  for  a  few  years  his  assistants  also  were  paid. 

The  German  Liederkranz  was  founded  in  this  year  and 
still  flourishes  in  great  strength,  though  having  thrown 
off,  by  a  process  of  fision,  the  equally  important  Arion 
Society.  It  maintains  upon  its  roll  the  names  of  many 
of  our  native  citizens. 

Plans  for  widening  Broadway  from  Forty-fifth  to 
Seventy-first  streets  were  submitted  on  May  5  of  this 
year,  and  on  December  11  the  scheme  for  widening  the 
same  street  just  above  its  junction  with  Fifth  Avenue 
(where  the  Worth  monument  stands). 

The  New  York  Hotel  at  721  Broadway,  between  Wash- 
ington and  Waverly  places,  was  opened  by  S.  B.  Monnot. 
The  building  of  this  hotel,  at  the  time  so  far  up-town, 
was  held  by  the  pessimists  to  be  a  very  wild  and  perilous 
undertaking.  Monnot  came  to  the  country  as  a  cook, 
and  having  realized  a  small  capital,  he  embarked  in  this 
enterprise,  which  proved  to  be  very  successful.  Upon 
his  retirement  the  house  was  leased  and  operated  by 
Hiram  Cranston. 


43^  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

This  year  was  a  time  of  considerable  and  varied  in- 
terest in  stage  affairs.  Palmo's  Opera  House  presented 
the  ingenious  Samuel  Lover  (author  of  "  Handy  Andy  "), 
in  entertainments  of  songs,  anecdotes,  and  recitations, 
and  followed  with  a  new  opera  company,  which  included 
Signorina  Clotilda  Barili,  half-sister  to  Adelina  Patti,  a 
charming  young  woman,  who  was  esteemed  a  "divinity" 
by  the  young  men  of  our  society,  and  who  married  in  the 
next  year  a  son  of  Colonel  Thorne.  It  was  nearing  its 
end  as  a  home  of  opera,  and  in  the  next  year  gave  way 
to  the  new  Astor  Place  enterprise  and  became  Burton's 
Theatre. 

At  the  Bowery  Mary  Taylor,  from  the  Olympic,  began 
her  first  engagement  as  a  star  in  New  York,  in  January, 
becoming  a  very  general  favorite. 

August.  The  old  manager  Simpson  opened  the  Park 
for  what  proved  to  be  his  last  season,  with  an  English 
version  of  "Linda,"  in  which  appeared  Mme.  Anna 
Bishop,  then  alike  beautiful  and  fascinating.  She  was 
the  wife  of  Sir  Henry  Bishop,  the  composer. 

Castle  Garden  was  opened  at  the  end  of  June  with  a 
good  dramatic  company.  The  Havana  Opera  Company 
appeared  here  in  the  middle  of  August,  playing  on 
alternate  nights,  and  thus  continued  for  a  month. 

September  27.  The  Broadway  Theatre,  between  Pearl 
and  Anthony  (Worth)  streets,  opened  with  the  "  School 
for  Scandal"  and  "Used  Up";  Henry  Wallack  in  the 
part  of  Sir  Peter  Teazle,  his  first  appearance  in  New  York 
for  seven  years.  Very  notable  is  the  Sir  Charles  Cold- 
stream of  this  evening,  for  it  was  the  debut  in  this  country 
of  "  Mr.  Lester,"  as  the  housebills  announced,  in  other 
words  John  Lester  Wallack,  who  thus  began  his  long 
career  in  New  York. 

November.  In  this  year  was  built  the  Astor  Place 
Opera  House,  mournfully  famous  for  events  happening 
there  not  long  after.      This  was  a  delightful  theatre,  con- 


WILLIAM    V.    BRADY,    MAYOR  439 

taining  about  1800  seats  (700  of  them  in  the  gallery). 
Max  Maretzek  said  of  it  that  "every-body  could  see,  and 
what  is  of  greater  consequence,  could  be  seen.  Never, 
perhaps,  was  any  theatre  built  that  afforded  a  better 
opportunity  for  the  display  of  dress."  The  house  was 
opened  on  the  22(1,  with  "Ernani." 

December  12  died  Chancellor  James  Kent,  at  the  age 
of  eighty-four,  a  man  most  eminent  for  the  just  respect 
and  affection  of  his  fellows.  His  funeral,  from  Calvary 
Church  on  December  15,  became  a  great  public  function, 
being  attended  by  the  Common  Council,  the  members  of 
the  bar  in  a  body,  and  a  multitudinous  company  of  citi- 
zens. Flags  were  at  half-mast  on  the  public  buildings 
and  the  shipping  in  the  harhor. 

A  day  or  two  after  another  old  and  respected  citizen, 
Peter  A.  Mesier,  died  suddenly  at  seventy-four. 

December  16.  There  was  introduced  here  a  corps  of 
danseuses,  known  as  the  Viennoise,  some  eighty  or  more  in 
number;  they  made  their  debut  at  the  Park  Theatre. 
Their  performances  were  of  a  character  and  style  wholly 
different  from  any  thing  of  the  kind  we  had  ever  seen, 
and  they  were  well  patronized;  but  for  a  short  period 
only,  as  their  exhibitions  were  too  uniform  in  their 
character. 

The  volume  of  ship-building  in  this  city  for  the  year 
was  39,918  tons  launched  and  29,870  in  process  of  con- 
struction on  the  stocks,  employing  2300  workmen. 

1848.  The  inmates  of  the  Almshouse  at  Bellevue  were 
transferred  to  the  new  buildings  on  Blackwell's  Island. 

The  Xew  York  and  Erie  Railroad  was  completed  to 
Port  Jervis,  X.  Y. ,  on  January  6. 

January  20,  the  body  of  a  female,  upon  being  disinterred 
from  a  grave  in  the  German  Cemetery  seventeen  years 
after  interment,  was  found  to  be  perfect  in  form  and  in 
appearance. 

March  7,  Henry  Clay  visited  Xew  York  as  the  guest  of 


44°  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

the  Mayor  and  Corporation.  He  was  received  at  Castle 
Garden  by  his  entertainers  and  a  great  concourse  of  citi- 
zens. The  next  day  he  attended  the  impressive  cere- 
monies with  which  New  York  received  the  body  of 
John  Quincy  Adams,  who  had  died  on  February  23,  after 
a  paralytic  seizure  on  February  21,  while  in  his  seat  at 
the  Capitol,  engaged  in  the  discharge  of  duty.  It  was 
said  that  this  funeral  observance  was  shared  by  the 
largest  assemblage  of  people  which  ever  had  gathered  in 
New  York.  Mr.  Clay  remained  in  town  for  several  days, 
being  the  centre  of  many  gatherings,  and  the  recipient 
of  honors  unwonted  and  sometimes  inconvenient,  since 
crowds  attended  wherever  he  was  expected  to  be  found. 

March  29,  John  Jacob  Astor  died,  aged  eighty-four, 
leaving,  perhaps,  the  greatest  fortune  then  existing  in 
the  country,  and  certainly  the  greatest  in  "  quick  assets"; 
the  whole  of  it  acquired  by  his  own  diligence  and  sagacity. 
His  funeral  was  on  April  1,  from  the  house  of  his  son 
William  B.,  in  Lafayette  Place.  By  bequest  of  four  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars  in  Mr.  Astor's  will,  the  Astor 
Library  was  founded.  This  idea  he  had  adopted  in  1838, 
and  in  March,  1842,  had  appointed  Dr.  Cogswell  to  be 
Librarian.  The  Library  was  incorporated  January  13, 
1849. 

February  10,  at  the  Olympic  Theatre,  Chanfrau  first 
appeared  as  Mose,  the  Bowery  b'hoy,  in  a  play  written 
by  Baker,  the  prompter,  named  "New  York  in  1848." 
Rewritten  and  enlarged,  and  renamed  "A  Glance  at 
New  York,"  it  ran  for  seventy  nights.  Mary  Taylor  as 
Lize  became  very  famous. 

April  2,  occurred  one  of  the  many  tragical  incidents 
in  the  adventurous  experience  of  the  New  York  Fire 
Department.  Fire  broke  out  in  a  sugar-house  in  Duane 
Street,  and  George  Kerr,  an  assistant  engineer,  and 
Henry  Fargis,  assistant  foreman  of  Engine  38,  while  in 
the  discharge  of  duty  were  killed   under  a   falling  wall, 


WILLIAM    F.    HAVEMEVER,    MAYOR  441 

which  severely  injured  several  others  of  the  force.  Kerr 
and  Fargis  were  buried  in  Greenwood  by  the  Firemen's 
Monument  Association,  which  had  been  erected  after  a 
design  by  Mr.  Robert  E.  Launitz. 

May  12,  Harlem  Railroad  opened  to  Croton  Falls. 

May  26.  Fire  destroyed  the  stables  of  Kipp  &  Brown, 
stage  proprietors,  at  Ninth  Avenue  and  Twenty-sixth 
Street,  consuming  27  stages  and  130  horses. 

April  11,  Schumann's  "Paradise  and  the  Peri"  was 
first  given  in  this  country,  with  a  chorus  of  120  and 
orchestra  of  60,  I  think  under  Mr.  Henry  C.  Timm. 
Mr.  Timm  produced  Rossini's  "Stabat  Mater,"  also  for 
the  first  time  in  America,  at  about  this  date. 

April  12,  the  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Co.  was  incor- 
porated, but  its  steamers  were  not  operated  from  this 
city  until  the  departure  of  the  Henry  Chauncey  to  Colon 
on  November  1,  1865. 

In  May  Major-general  Winfield  Scott  was  received  by 
the  city  authorities  and  an  eager  crowd  enthusiastic  over 
the  hero  of  the  march  to  Mexico.  There  had  been  talk 
of  his  nomination  by  the  Whigs  for  the  Presidency  (as 
indeed  happened  in  1852).  The  convention  on  June  9 
at  Philadelphia  preferred  General  Taylor,  as  a  more 
"available"  candidate  than  either  Scott  or  Henry  Clay, 
whose  nomination  was  warmly  urged,  but  who  met  on 
this  occasion  his  final  disappointment. 

June  5  Simpson  was  obliged  to  give  up,  and  abandoned 
the  Park  Theatre,  where  for  thirty-eight  years  he  had 
been  stage-manager  or  manager.  He  had  made  great 
sums,  but  had  lost  them,  and  sold  out  for  an  annuity  of  fif- 
teen hundred  dollars,  but  was  so  affected  by  his  misfor- 
tunes that  he  died  almost  immediately.  He  was  a  man  of 
so  much  importance  in  his  vocation  that  after  his  death 
a  public  meeting  was  called  by  the  Mayor  at  the  Astor 
House,  at  which  suitable  resolutions  were  adopted, 
characterizing  the  departed  manager  as  an    "exemplary 


442  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

instance  of  probity,  usefulness,  and  virtue,"  and  suggest- 
ing benefits  for  his  family — a  suggestion  that  resulted 
in  a  very  liberal  series.  The  "School  for  Scandal"  was 
given  with  a  cast  including  Placide,  Blake,  Burton,  Bar- 
rett, Richings,  YValcot,  Henry  Hunt,  etc. — a  most  re- 
markable conjunction.  The  series  of  the  Simpson  benefits 
about  this  date  included  a  reading  of  "Hamlet"  by 
Macready,  a  concert  at  the  Astor  Place  Opera  House, 
and  performances  at  Burton's,  the  National,  and  the 
Olympic. 

Hamblin,  the  Bowery  manager,  undertook  to  revive 
the  glories  of  the  old  Park,  and  this  fall  reopened  that 
theatre,  very  extensively  remodelled,  improved,  and 
beautified.  Even  in  the  pit  there  were  cushioned  seats, 
in  place  of  the  ancient  boards  covered  with  canvas. 

In  June  a  benefit  was  given  at  the  Broadway  Theatre 
for  Kipp  &  Brown,  sufferers  from  the  fire  hereinbefore 
noted,  and  one  for  the  widow  and  children  of  Samuel 
Pray,  an  attache  of  the  house  who  had  been  strangely 
killed  through  the  falling  upon  him  of  the  heavy  curtain- 
roller.  Two  of  Pray's  three  daughters  became  Mrs.  Bar- 
ney Williams  and  Mrs.  W.  J.  Florence. 

July  10,  the  Keying,  a  Chinese  junk,  arrived  here, 
being  the  first  and  only  one  up  to  this  time  (1895)  that 
ever  reached  America. 

The  New  York  daily  Tribune  (Horace  Greeley)  joined 
in  the  popular  cry  regarding  the  constructive  mileage  of 
members  of  Congress.  In  illustration,  when  a  Congress 
ceased  to  exist,  as  at  12  M.  on  the  alternate  4th  of 
March,  and  the  President  had  convened  a  session  of  the 
Senate  for  Executive  action  upon  his  nominations  for 
office,  some  Senators  would  claim  mileage  for  their  con- 
structive journey  home,  and  their  return  again  in  one 
day,  added  to  which,  it  was  also  charged  that  members 
did  not  take  the  shortest  routes  to  and  from  Washington, 
and  this  expose" evolved  some  epithets  regarding  Greeley's 


WILLIAM    F.    HAVEMEYER,    MAYOR  443 

action  which  were  not  in  any  wise  laudatory  or  compli- 
mentary to  him,  but  they  should  have  been. 

In  September  news  reached  New  York  of  the  dis- 
covery of  gold  in  California,  and  thus  began  one  of  the 
most  fascinating  chapters  of  our  history.  In  three 
years  California  was  transformed  from  a  wild  region, 
containing  about  fifteen  thousand  white  population,  into  a 
State  with  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  million  people.  So 
sudden  were  the  discovery  of  gold  and  its  effects  that  in 
a  Gazetteer,  or  Geographical  Dictionary,  bearing  a  pub- 
lisher's date  of  1852,  may  be  found,  in  the  article  "Cali- 
fornia," the  amusing  line:  "So  far  as  known,  minerals 
are  of  very  little  importance." 

In  this  month  an  event  happened  of  great  consequence 
in  the  musical  history  of  Xew  York  and  the  entire 
country.  The  Germania  Orchestra  arrived  here  on  Sep- 
tember 25,  and  gave  its  first  concert  at  the  Astor  Place 
Opera  House  on  October  5.  Our  public  was  little 
schooled  in  orchestra  music,  and  with  small  knowledge 
felt  little  interest;  the  concerts  therefore  showed  bad 
pecuniary  results.  The  orchestra  next  tried  Philadelphia, 
but  there  utterly  failed,  and  disbanded.  Happening, 
however,  to  be  called  to  Washington  for  a  performance, 
they  rallied  for  that  purpose  and  met  with  a  reception 
so  different  that  they  ventured  to  test  Baltimore.  Being 
very  successful  there,  they  attempted  Boston,  where 
they  excited  much  enthusiasm.  In  consequence  of  such 
encouragement,  the  orchestra  resumed  its  original  pur- 
pose, and  went  concertizing  through  the  States  for  some 
years;  becoming  famous.  The  company  disbanded  in 
September,  1854,  its  members  applying  themselves  to  the 
private  exercise  of  their  profession.  By  those  subse- 
quent labors,  as  well  as  by  their  concerts,  the  members 
of  the  Germania  greatly  accelerated  the  progress  of 
musical  culture  in  America,  and  deserve  a  grateful  re- 
membrance. 


444  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

October  3,  Broadway  was  ordered  to  be  widened  from 
Twenty-first  to  Twenty-fifth  Street. 

July  10,  Palmo's  Opera  House,  from  which  the  lyric 
drama  had  retreated  uptown,  was  opened  as  Burton's 
Theatre,  with  John  Brougham  as  stage-manager.  The 
venture  was  not  instantly  successful,  but  on  the  24th 
some  public  attention  was  secured  by  the  production  of 
"  Dombey  and  Son"  for  the  first  time  on  any  stage,  in 
John  Brougham's  version;  Brougham  doubling  Bunsby 
and  Bagstock,  Mrs.  Brougham  playing  Susan  Nipper,  and 
Burton  Cafn  Cuttle. 

In  October  Maurice  Power,  son  of  the  great  Tyrone, 
appeared  and  disappointed  expectation. 

November  18,  another  fire  in  omnibus  stables  de- 
stroyed the  property  of  the  Murphys  at  Third  Avenue 
and  Twenty-seventh  Street;  consuming  150  horses,  25 
stages,  and  25  sleighs,  and  involving  two  churches,  a 
parsonage,  and  a  public  school.  While  this  was  in  prog- 
ress a  new  alarm  was  caused  by  fire  at  the  Bowery  and 
Broome  Street;  a  fresh  conflagration  then  broke  out  at 
Thirty-fifth  Street  and  Eighth  Avenue.  These  were  all 
burning  when  the  distracted  firemen  wrere  further  called 
to  burning  stables  in  West  Seventeenth  Street.  The 
town  seemed  to  be  full  of  threatening  flame  and  light. 

December  11,  Hamblin  appeared  as  Richard,  the 
play  being  given  with  the  rich  Kean  appointments.  It 
was  the  last  tragedy  ever  seen  at  the  Park.  Decem- 
ber 16,  just  before  opening  the  doors  for  Mine.  Mon- 
plaisir's  benefit  (again  the  ill  omen),  a  hanging  file  of 
playbills  blown  against  a  lighted  gas-jet  communicated 
fire  to  the  scenery,  and  within  an  hour  the  house  was 
entirely  burned  out.  It  never  was  rebuilt.  The  first 
performance  at  the  Park  was  on  January  29,  1798. 

This  year  witnessed  the  rise  of  modern  "  spiritualism," 
through  the  delusion  or  deception  then  known  as  "  the 
Rochester   Knockings."     These  arose  in  a  family  named 


WILLIAM    F.    HAVEMEYER,    MAYOR  445 

Fox,  then  living  in  Wayne  County,  but  afterward  remov- 
ing to  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  as  their  fame  extended,  in  order 
to  seek  a  wider  field  for  their  mysterious  knocks  on  walls 
or  floors,  table-tipping,  etc.  In  Rochester  the  Fox  girls 
gave  public  exhibitions,  and  in  1856  appeared  before 
audiences  in  this  city.  In  the  same  year  the  late  D.  D. 
Home  (Hume)  first  appeared  as  a  "  medium,"  being  then 
seventeen  years  old.  Afterward  he  visited  Europe  and 
produced  "manifestations"  before  several  crowned 
heads.  Mediums  then  and  afterward  multiplied,  and 
a  new  sect  of  Spiritualist  believers  sprang  up.  Many 
strange  things  were  performed  by  the  mediums,  some  of 
which  were  proved  indubitably  to  be  fraudulent  imposi- 
tions. Men  of  science  have  investigated  the  mediumistic 
manifestations  with  the  conclusion  that,  after  all  abate- 
ment, a  residuum  might  remain,  which  must  be  attributed 
to  some  force  not  yet  understood.  The  mediums  never 
have  discovered  or  declared  any  new  truth  of  science  to 
the  world,  and  if  they  are  prompted  by  spirits,  then  it  is 
certain  that  the  spirits  have  made  very  little  advance  on 
their  earthly  conditions. 

The  election  of  November,  resulting  in  the  choice  of 
General  Taylor  for  President,  was  a  sweeping  victory  for 
the  Whigs — and  their  last. 

December  28,  the  New  York  and  Erie  Railroad  was 
opened  to  Binghamton,  N.  Y.  In  this  year,  Woodhull  & 
Minturn  retiring  from  business,  their  ships  were  pur- 
chased by  Grinnell,  Minturn  &  Co. 

About  this  period  flourished  Henry  C.  Marx;  more  gen- 
erally known  as  "Dandy  Marx,"  and  so  designated  from 
his  style  of  dress  and  manner  of  wearing  it — added  to  a 
waxed  moustache,  the  first  essay  of  the  kind  that  ever  was 
seen  on  Broadway  or  elsewhere  in  this  city.  He  originated 
and  commanded  a  company  of  Hussars;  and  despite  his 
apparent  effeminacy,  he  was  manly,  bold,  and  generous. 
He  left  three  sisters,  who  resided  at  673  Broadway. 


446  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

In  a  file  of  an  old  newspaper,  I  noticed  the  case  of  one 
having  been  duped  by  a  swindle  at  that  time  and  for  some 
years  after  known  as  the  "pocket-book  drop,"  then  a 
favorite  trick;  but  of  late  years  fallen  into  disuse,  prob- 
ably because  the  "sawdust  game  "  presents  a  more  ex- 
tensive field  of  operation  and  more  profitable,  with  less 
risk;  inasmuch  as  the  victim,  being  just  as  much  a  cul- 
prit as  the  operator,  unless  of  so  low  a  grade  that  he 
prefers  his  money  to  his  character,  naturally  forbears 
presenting  a  complaint  that  manifests  his  own  criminality. 

At  this  period  the  fashion  of  negro  minstrelsy  must 
have  been  about  at  its  height  as  a  popular  influence. 
This  form  of  amusement  originated  with  "  Dan  "  Emmett 
and  some  of  his  friends  as  early  as  1842;  the  first  public 
performances  being  those  of  the  "Virginia  Minstrels" 
in  1843,  hereinbefore  mentioned.  They  were  an  utter 
novelty,  and  caught  the  popular  fancy.  Buckley's  "  New 
Orleans  Serenaders  "  were  organized  in  the  same  year 
(1843),  and  by  1845  or  T^46  many  travelling  troupes  were 
on  the  road,  carrying  the  new  diversion  even  to  the 
smaller  towns.  One  of  these  that  I  remember  included 
in  its  number  an  actual  negro,  who  played  the  bones 
with  great  skill;  and  indeed  the  rage  for  negro  delinea- 
tion very  largely  infected  the  blacks,  so  that  eventually 
several  companies  of  them  were  formed,  which  went 
about  the  country  engaged  in  somewhat  extravagant 
imitation  of  themselves. 

E.  P.  Christy  did  more  than  any  other  man  to  regular- 
ize this  entertainment  and  give  it  the  form  which  became 
characteristic,  and  his  company  was  easily  at  the  head  of 
all  those  extant  at  that  day.  "Christy's  Minstrels"  ap- 
peared early  in  1846,  at  Mechanics'  Hall,  No.  472  Broad- 
way, and  remained  there  for  nine  years,  becoming  famous 
throughout  the  country.  His  "star"  was  George 
Christy  (Harrington),  who,  I  believe,  had  for  a  time  a 
company  of   his   own   at  444    Broadway,    which  became 


WILLIAM    F.    HAVEMEYER,    MAYOR  447 

another  noted  seat  of  minstrelsy.  After  E.  P.  Christy's 
retirement,  George  Christy  managed  both  companies; 
George  and  "Billy"  Birch  were  the  "bones"  of  the  two 
troupes.  I  knew  Birch's  father,  who  spelled  the  name 
Burch — a  queer  old  man,  of  much  dry  wit;  he  thought 
that  his  son  was  the  greatest  living  American.  "Billy" 
afterward  suffered  shipwreck,  I  think,  in  the  loss  of  the 
Central  America,  and  it  was  related  that  while  he  was 
floating  on  a  hencoop  or  some  such  convenient  and  use- 
ful object,  tenderly  bearing  his  canary-bird,  he  came 
upon  one  of  his  friends  tossing  in  the  sea,  to  whom  he 
called  to  "come  in  out  of  the  wet,"  thereupon  helping" 
him  to  a  place  on  the  hencoop.  Birch's  after  career 
with  his  San  Francisco  Minstrels  is  known  to  very 
modern  readers. 

Such  readers,  however,  will  fail  to  understand  the 
extent  and  power  of  the  minstrel  "craze"  when  it  was 
at  its  height.  The  reach  of  its  influence  was  very  wide. 
New  "  negro  songs  "  were  sent  out  almost  daily  from  the 
publishers'  presses  and  were  sung  all  over  the  land.  I 
do  not  know  whether  Stephen  C.  Foster  had  yet  begun 
to  write  his  songs,  but  many  of  those  then  issued  were  of 
singular  sweetness,  and  the  use  of  them  was  almost  uni- 
versal. Households  that  had  amused  themselves  with 
singing  English  opera  (which  had  been  greatly  in  fashion) 
and  English  glees  and  part-songs,  turned  to  the  new 
melodies.  Besides  the  original  compositions,  a  crowd  of 
parodies  appeared:  "The  Mellow  Horn"  became  "The 
Yellow  Corn";  Balfe's  air,  "I  Dreamt  that  I  Dwelt  in 
Marble  Halls,"  was  Africanized  into  "I  Dreamt  that  I 
Dwelt  in  Hotel  Walls,"  etc.,  etc.  Many  of  the  earliest 
minstrel  melodies  are  still  in  use;  it  is  but  this  winter 
(1895)  that  I  heard  a  great  company  of  gentlemen  sing- 
ing "  Dearest  Mae."  Indeed  the  whole  "movement" 
lasted  long;  "  Bryant's  Minstrels  "  were  organized  so 
lately  as  1857,  and   remained   before   the   public   till  the 


448  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

death  of  "  Dan  "  Bryant,  about  twenty  years  ago.  Other 
troupes,  besides  those  here  mentioned, — Campbell's, 
Wood's,  Kelly  &  Leon's,  Morris  Bros.',  Pell  &  Trow- 
bridge's, and  many  more, — flourished  greatly  during  the 
reign  of  negro  minstrelsy. 

The  New  York  and  Harlem  Railroad  was  opened  to 
Dover  in  this  year. 

Comparatively,  it  is  but  a  few  years  since  the  Venetian 
style  of  awnings  and  shades  has  been  introduced.  Un- 
til an  ordinance  was  passed  regulating  the  height  of  awn- 
ing-posts, and  later  one  requiring  their  removal,  awnings 
extended  from  buildings  and  were  attached  to  the  posts 
which  were  set  inside  the  curb. 

It  was  in  this  year  that  a  local  company  was  organ- 
ized and  the  steamers  Washington  and  Hermann  were  con- 
structed for  service  between  this  city  and  Southampton, 
England,  and  bearing  the  United  States  Mail.  Their 
design  in  both  model,  power,  and  rig  was  not  conducive 
to  high  speed,  nor  was  the  construction  of  their  engines 
such  as  to  maintain  the  success  that  was  presaged  for 
them,  either  at  home  or  abroad,  and  the  service  was  con- 
tinued but  for  a  very  few  years. 

Mr.  E.  K.  Collins  had  essayed  from  as  early  as  1840  to 
induce  the  Government  to  give  a  line  of  vessels  a  suffi- 
cient subsidy  for  the  bi-weekly  transportation  of  the 
mails  between  this  port  and  Liverpool,  but  it  was  not 
until  this  year  that  by  the  joint  aid  of  Albert  G.  Sloo,  who 
was  seeking  to  obtain  a  subsidy  for  a  line  of  steamers 
hence  to  California  via  the  Isthmus  route,  and  Arnold 
Harris,  who  was  seeking  for  one  to  Astoria  and  to 
Chagres  via  Havana,  that  success  was  obtained;  the 
Government  granting  to  Collins  and  his  associates,  for  a 
term  of  ten  years,  the  compensation  of  three  hundred 
and  eighty-five  thousand  dollars  per  annum;  the  service 
to  consist  of  two  round  trips  a  month  between  New 
York  and    Liverpool   during  eight    months  of  the    year, 


WILLIAM    F.    HAVEMEYER,    MAYOR  449 

and  one  round  trip  a  month  during  the  remaining  four 
months  of  the  year.  The  first  sailing  under  the  contract 
occurred  on  the  27th  of  April. 

The  "  Sloo  contract  "  was  also  for  a  term  of  ten  years, 
at  the  compensation  of  two  hundred  and  ninety  thousand 
dollars  per  annum;  the  service  to  consist  of  two  round 
trips  a  month  between  New  York  and  New  Orleans, 
touching  at  Charleston,  Savannah,  and  Havana;  and  in 
connection  therewith,  two  round  trips  per  month  between 
Havana  and  Chagres.  The  first  sailing  under  the  con- 
tract occurred  in  December. 

A  contract  was  also  entered  into  with  Mr.  Arnold 
Harris  for  the  conveyance  of  mails  from  Panama  to 
Astoria,  Ore.,  to  connect  with  the  service  from  Havana 
to  Chagres.  This  contract  required  a  round  trip  once  a 
month  for  a  term  of  ten  years  from  the  1st  of  October, 
1848,  for  a  compensation  of  one  hundred  and  ninety-nine 
thousand  dollars  per  annum. 

The  contracts  in  question  were  modified  in  various 
ways  during  the  term  of  ten  years;  but  the  original  terms 
were  as  given  above. 

The  Collins  Line  (the  New  York  and  Liverpool  line  of 
steamers)  was  established  in  this  year  by  the  construction 
of  the  steamers  Atlantic  and  Pacific. 


BEEKMAN   GREENHOUSE 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

1849,  1850,  1851.— WILLIAM  F.  HAVEMEYER,  1849;  CALEB  S. 
WOODHULL,  1850;  AND  AMBROSE  C.  KINGSLAND,  1 85  I, 
MAYORS 

1849.  The  California  fever  reached  its  height  in  this 
"Argonaut  year,"  and  the  name  of  "Forty-niners"  has 
become  a  familiar  title  of  honor  applied  to  the  early 
emigrants  to  that  State.  It  would  be  hard  to  convey  to 
younger  readers  an  adequate  notion  of  the  degree  of 
popular  excitement  over  the  gold  discoveries  of  the  new 
empire,  and  of  the  extent  to  which  it  spread  throughout 
the  older  parts  of  the  country.  Every  seaport  of  con- 
sequence despatched  vessels  for  San  Francisco;  ninety- 
nine  of  them,  transporting  5719  passengers,  left  here  via 
Panama,  Nicaragua,  Darien,  and  other  routes,  and  bearing 
such  merchandise  as  might  be  thought  fit  for  a  market, 
and  many  of  the  best  as  well  as  of  the  worst  of  its  young 
men,  all  eager  in  the  search  for  wealth.  Associations 
of  men  in  all  sections  of  the  country  organized  as 
"Mining  companies,"  and  rushed  for  San  Francisco  in 
every  available  manner.  The  Pacific  Mail  Co.  advanced 
the  rate  of  passage  by  its  steamers,  and  every  machine 
shop  in  the  city  was  employed  in  the  manufacture  of 
quartz-crushers  to  be  transported  to  the  mines.  Of 
course  New  York  was  in  the  front  of  this  enterprise,  and 
the  scene  of  the  most  animated  interest.  The  events  of 
that  time  seem  yet  like  romance  even  to  one  who  lived 
through  them.  Mercantile  adventure  with  California 
was  then  most  uncertain,  owing  to  the  infrequent  and 
slow  communication    and    consequent    lack   of    sufficient 


WILLIAM     K.    HAVEMEYER,    MAYOR  451 

information.  With  the  whole  commercial  world  seeking 
the  new  market,  and  no  advices  as  to  stocks  on  hand  in 
San  Francisco  or  on  the  way  thither,  shipments  were 
in  many  cases  pure  speculation;  sometimes  resulting  in 
heavy  loss  and  sometimes  in  enormous  profit.  Merely 
by  way  of  illustration  I  may  relate  the  amusing  tale  of 
one  shipper  who,  from  such  calculation  or  guesswork  as 
circumstances  allowed,  concluded  that  some  commodity — 
I  believe  it  was  flour — would  be  in  demand  when  his  ship 
should  reach  San  Francisco,  and  loaded  for  that  port 
accordingly.  When  loading,  he  happened  to  find  obtain- 
able a  great  quantity  of  damaged  dried  beans,  which  he 
got  for  a  trifle,  or  perhaps  for  nothing  but  the  cost  of 
cartage,  and  used  for  dunnage  of  his  cargo.  On  arrival 
at  San  Francisco  it  was  found  that  other  shippers  had 
made  similar  calculations  and  the  harbor  was  full  of 
newly  arrived  flour,  for  which  no  price  could  be  obtained. 
But  there  were  no  beans  to  be  had,  with  a  keen  demand 
for  them,  and  our  friend  threw  away  his  cargo,  and  out 
of  the  dunnage  realized  a  handsome  profit  on  the  whole 
adventure.  Such  were  the  chances  of  California  com- 
merce in  1849. 

In  January  Burton's  Theatre  presented  a  dramatization 
by  Brougham  of  Thackeray's  "Vanity  Fair,"  which  ran 
only  for  a  week,  though  Caroline  Chapman  as  Becky 
Sharp  was  greatly  admired.  In  April  a  piece  entitled 
"Socialism,"  in  which  Brougham,  as  Fourier  Gns/ev, 
made  up  in  close  imitation  of  Horace  Greeley,  attracted 
amused  houses  for  three  weeks. 

At  the  National  Theatre  in  April,  at  Mrs.  Isherwood's 
benefit,  Chanfrau  played  Mose  for  the  three  hundredth 
time. 

February  i,  the  Collins  Fine  steamers  Atlantic  and 
Pacific  were  launched. 

In  March  Mrs.  Fanny  Kemble  Butler  began  her  read- 
ings from  Shakspere,  which  became  popular  almost  beyond 


452  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

belief  at  the  present  day.  The  place  where  she  read 
(the  Stuyvesant  Institution,  in  Broadway)  was  thronged 
on  every  occasion,  hours  before  the  time  set  for  the 
reading,  though  Mrs.  Butler's  appearances  were  four 
times  a  week. 

The  defeat  of  the  charter  submitted  in  1846  being 
generally  regretted,  and  the  existing  one  being  held 
insufficient  in  some  important  provisions,  it  was  decided 
to  apply  to  the  legislature  for  some  amendments  to  it, 
in  preference  to  risking  the  submission  of  a  new  one, 
but  on  April  2  a  charter  was  enacted  to  take  effect  on 
June  1;  subject,  however,  to  the  approval  of  the  people, 
who  at  the  ensuing  election  approved  of  it.  The  day 
of  municipal  election  was  changed  from  April  to  Novem- 
ber, the  term  of  offices  to  begin  on  the  1st  of  January 
ensuing,  and  the  term  of  office  of  the  mayor  extended 
to  two  years,  and  the  system  of  Departments — as  the 
Police,  Finance,  Almshouse,  Law,  Croton  Aqueduct, 
Fire,  Repairs  and  Supplies — was  established,  the  heads 
of  which  (save  the  head  of  the  Croton  Aqueduct  Board) 
were  to  be  elected  by  the  people. 

April  15.  From  December  14  of  the  previous  year  to 
this  date,  or  a  period  of  four  months,  one  hundred  and 
five  steamers  and  sailing  vessels  left  this  port  for  San 
Francisco,  either  via  the  Isthmus  or  around  Cape  Horn. 

Advices  from  abroad,  via  Liverpool,  were  borne  by  the 
Cunard  steamer,  via  Halifax  and  St.  John,  N.  B.,  and 
from  thence  by  telegraph  here. 

May  7,  Macready,  the  tragedian,  began  an  engagement 
at  the  Astor  Place  Opera  House  under  Hackett  &  Niblo, 
with  Macbeth.  Edwin  Forrest,  then  playing  at  the 
Broadway  Theatre,  announced  the  same  part  for  the 
same  evening.  This  did  not  tend  to  diminish  the  bitter- 
ness of  Forrest's  partisans,  who  resented  any  rivalry  of 
their  favorite,  and  whose  feelings  were  inflamed  by 
reports  that  during  a  recent  visit  to  England  Forrest  had 


WILLIAM    F.    HAVEMEYER,    MAYOR  453 

been  treated  in  an  offensive  manner  through  the  envi- 
ous influence  of  Macready.  They  therefore  organized 
a  party  to  attend  the  Opera  House  performance,  raise  a 
riot,  and  drive  Macready  from  the  stage.  This  was 
successfully  accomplished;  so  soon  as  the  actor  appeared 
abusive  cries  rose  from  different  parts  of  the  house  and 
a  shower  of  unsavory  missiles,  as  rotten  eggs  and  assafce- 
tida,  was  cast  upon  the  stage.  There  were  groans,  hisses, 
cheers,  yells,  screams,  "  Off,  off  !  "  "  Go  on,  go  on,  go  on!" 
and  the  display  of  a  banner  with  "  You  have  ever  proved 
a  liar,"  "No  apology,  it  is  the  truth,"  the  singing  of  the 
song  of  the  witches,  "Where's  Macready  ?"  and  in  the 
continuing  and  increasing  uproar  the  performance  was 
suspended  at  the  end  of  the  third  act,  and  the  audience 
dispersed. 

Macready  would  have  resigned  his  engagement,  but 
was  persuaded  to  continue  by  the  urgency  of  an  "open 
letter  "  addressed  to  him  by  some  of  our  worthiest  and 
prominent  citizens,  deploring  the  riot,  and  praying  him 
to  remain,  and  give  the  better  class  of  the  community 
a  chance  to  manifest  their  approval  of  him  and  their 
detestation  of  the  riotous  proceedings.  He  assented, 
and  Thursday,  May  10,  was  chosen  for  his  reappearance. 
Forrest  posted  the  same  play  for  the  same  night;  his 
adherents  issued  notices,  organized  meetings,  published 
an  exceptionally  inflammatory  card  in  the  Herald,  and 
deputed  persons  to  buy  tickets  and  take  possession  of 
the  Opera  House  on  the  night  of  the  performance. 
Counter-preparations  were  made,  however;  the  sale  of 
tickets  was  refused  to  persons  of  suspicious  appearance, 
the  house  was  guarded  inside  and  out  by  three  hundred 
police,  those  offering  to  enter  it  were  carefully  scrutin- 
ized, and  the  doors  and  windows  were  closed  and  barred 
after  the  audience  had  assembled.  The  house  was  filled 
with  an  audience  of  an  exceptionally  high  character,  in 
general,  but  a  few  of  the  disaffected  had   got  in,  and  so 


454  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

soon  as  Macready  had  appeared  he  was  hooted  by  several 
persons,  evidently  and  purposely  located  in  different 
parts  of  the  auditorium,  in  order  to  give  a  general 
character  to  the  manifestation.  This  was  followed  by 
missiles,  thrown  at  him  on  the  stage.  Fear  and  con- 
fusion prevailed  in  the  audience  until  the  police  arrested 
the  ringleaders  and  measurably  succeeded  in  restoring 
confidence,  when  the  performance  was  permitted  to 
proceed. 

When  the  mob  of  some  thousands,  gathered  in  Astor 
Place,  learned  what  had  occurred  in  the  theatre,  it  made 
a  general  attack  upon  the  police,  and  overcoming  them, 
endeavoring  to  storm  the  building  by  battering  in  the 
doors  and  windows.  At  this  juncture  the  Seventh  Regi- 
ment, which  had  been  held  in  waiting,  marched  up  at 
nine  o'clock,  preceded  by  cavalry,  cleared  Eighth  Street, 
and  occupied  Astor  Place.  The  horse  troop,  however, 
was  repulsed  by  an  attack  from  the  mob,  the  horses 
becoming  unmanageable  in  the  wild  scene,  and  Colonel 
Duryee  then  ordered  his  men  to  load  with  ball.  The 
Riot  Act  was  proclaimed  by  Recorder  Tallmadge,  but 
without  effect.  Whereupon  Sheriff  John  J.  V.  Wester- 
velt,  adopting  the  ineffective,  cruel,  inexplicable,  and 
unfortunate  manner  of  proceeding  so  common  in  such 
cases,  ordered  a  volley  over  the  heads  of  the  people. 
This  killed  and  injured  inoffensive  men  and  women  in 
adjacent  windows,  and  both  angered  and  encouraged  the 
mob,  which  replied  with  a  fierce  attack  on  the  regiment. 
A  well-aimed  volley  followed,  and  the  mob  retreated. 
Astor  Place  was  then  picketed,  but  the  restoration  of 
order  was  only  temporary,  for  the  mob  shortly  returned 
from  Third  Avenue  and  attacked  witli  paving-stones.  A 
third  volley  scattered  them  finally;  killing  seventeen  and 
wounding  twenty-six. 

In  this  affair  one  hundred  and  forty-one  of  the  Seventh 
and  many  of  the  police  were  wounded,  thirty-four  of  the 


WILLIAM    F.    HAVEMEYER,    MAYOR  455 

mob  and  spectators  were  killed  in  all,  and  a  great,  though 
unknown,  number  injured.  Macready  escaped  by  a  rear 
door  of  the  Opera  House  and  was  secreted  for  two  days 
in  Judge  Emmet's  house,  whence  he  proceeded  in  dis- 
guise to  Boston  on  the  day  before  the  sailing  of  the 
steamer  from  that  port  on  which  he  took  passage  for 
England.  Great  praise  was  given  to  the  Seventh  Regi- 
ment for  its  self-control  and  gallant  conduct  under 
orders,  although  on  the  next  day  a  meeting  of  the  baser 
sort  was  held  in  the  Park,  where  inflammatory  speeches 
contrary  to  law  and  order  were  made.  These,  however, 
issued  in  no  action;  or  at  least  in  nothing  more  than  the 
nickname  of  "  Massacre"  Place  Opera  House. 

An  investigation  of  the  matter  revealed  the  fact  that 
tickets  to  the  theatre  were  gratuitously  distributed  to 
persons  who  were  afterward  engaged  in  the  riot,  by  some 
of  the  parties  who  signed  the  card  calling  upon  Ma- 
cready to  fill    his  engagement. 

E.  Z.  C.  Judson,  who  had  gained  much  notoriety  as  a 
writer  of  sensational  stories,  known  as  "  yellow-covered," 
over  the  signature  of  "  Xed  Buntline,"  took  a  conspicu- 
ous part  in  this  riot,  was  arrested,  convicted,  sentenced 
to  one  year's  imprisonment  and  a  fine  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars. 

The  supporters  of  Forrest  had  been  drawn  to  the 
scene  of  the  riot  by  the  effect  of  handbills,  in  which 
statements  were  made  designed  to  excite  them. 

Hamblin  appeared  at  the  Bowery  Theatre  at  this  time, 
and  in  the  same  character,  to  an  exceptionally  crowded 
house. 

May  8,  the  New  York  Slave  Vigilance  Committee 
met  in  the  church,  corner  of  Prince  and  Marion  streets. 
The  chairman  reported  that  fully  two  hundred  runaway 
slaves  had  been  provided  for.  Frederick  Douglass  was 
then  introduced,  and  he  related  his  escape  from  slavery. 

May   18,    the    steamboat   Empire,   hence  to  Albany,   in 


456  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

being  directed  across  the  bow  of  a  schooner  beating  down 
the  river,  was  run  into  and  sunk,  with  the  loss  of  four  of 
her  passengers. 

The  administration  of  the  Department  of  Charities  and 
Correction  was  so  generally  commented  upon  and  cen- 
sured that  the  legislature  transferred  its  direction  to  a 
board  of  ten  governors. 

The  steamer  United  States,  built  by  Wm.  H.  Webb  for 
Chas.  H.  Marshall  &  Co's.  line  to  Liverpool,  entered 
upon  service  in  this  year. 

"  The  Trustees  of  the  Astor  Library"  incorporated, 
being  the  library  founded  by  the  will  of  John  Jacob  Astor 
as  a  public  library,  for  general  use,  accessible  at  all  regular 
hours  and  free  of  expense  to  persons  resorting  thereto; 
later  Wm.  B.  Astor  doubled  the  endowment  of  his  father, 
"On  the  understanding  that  it  was  the  settled  and 
unchangeable  basis  of  administering  the  library  that  its 
contents  should  remain  in  the  library  rooms  for  use  by 
readers,  and  should  not  be  lent  or  allowed  to  be  taken 
from  the  rooms." 

It  received  a  third  endowment  from  John  Jacob  Astor, 
grandson  of  the  founder,  making  the  total  amount 
two  million  dollars.  The  number  of  volumes  at  this 
period  (1894)  is  about  two  hundred  and  sixty  thousand. 

By  the  new  postage  law,  the  domestic  postage  on 
single  letters  (half-ounce)  was,  for  less  than  three  hun- 
dred miles,  5  cents;  over  that,  10  cents.  Foreign  (half- 
ounce),  24  cents. 

New  York  suffered  in  this  year  a  severe  visitation  of 
cholera,  which  appeared  first  in  the  Five  Points  on  May 
14,  and  spread  rapidly.  The  public-school  buildings 
were  turned  into  hospitals,  and  in  them  alone  one  thou- 
sand and  twenty-one  deaths  from  cholera  occurred;  the 
total  mortality  from  the  disease  in  this  year  being  about 
five  thousand. 

August    13    died    Albert    Gallatin,    aged    eighty-eight, 


WILLIAM    F.    HAVEMEYER,    MAYOR  457 

whose  accomplishments  and  public  services  are  too  well 
known  to  require  record  here. 

The  Bowery  Theatre  opened  early  in  September,  under 
Hamblin.  Lester  Wallack  made  his  first  appearance  here 
as  Don  Ccesar  de  Bazan  a  fortnight  later.  In  November 
was  produced  the  "The  Three  Guardsmen,"  adapted  by 
him  from  Dumas,  which  obtained  a  very  great  success, 
holding  the  stage  for  thirty-four  consecutive  nights.  J. 
W.  Wallack,  Jr.,  played  Athos;  John  Gilbert,  Porthos,  and 
Lester  Wallack,  D'Artagnan.  On  Christmas  Eve  the 
sequel,  called  "The  Four  Musketeers,  or  Ten  Years 
After,"  dramatized  by  the  same  hand,  ran  for  three  weeks, 
and  on  January  14  (1850),  an  adaptation  of  Eugene  Sue's 
"Wandering  Jew  "  was  played  for  a  month. 

September  25,  the  Hudson  River  Railroad  obtained 
permission  to  operate  a  road  from  Spuyten  Duyvil  to 
West  and  Canal  streets,  to  run  a  locomotive  south  as  far 
as  Thirtieth  Street,  and  a  "dummy  engine"  between  that 
and  Chambers  Street  ;  but  it  was  enjoined  from  running 
a  stated  passenger  train  below  Thirty-second  Street. 
This  later  station  was  maintained  until  1865,  when  it  was 
transferred  to  Thirtieth  Street. 

September  17,  the  New  York  Harmonic  Society  was 
founded  by  merging  the  Sacred  Music  Society,  the  Vocal 
Society,  and  perhaps  one  or  two  other  organizations. 

October  10  ,  the  New  York  and  Erie  Railroad  was 
opened  to  Elmira,  N.  V. 

This  year  witnessed  the  disappearance  of  the  Rich- 
mond Hill  Theatre.  This  house,  on  Varick  Street,  of 
which  1  have  heretofore  given  some  history,  being  bought 
by  John  Jacob  Astor,  was  converted  into  a  theatre  and 
opened  in  November,  183 1,  with  "The  Road  to  Ruin," 
the  prologue  written  by  Halleck.  It  continued,  as  here 
related,  with  varying  fortunes  and  reputation — at  one 
time  the  home  of  opera,  as  the  New  York  Opera  House, 
until  it  was  taken  down  in  this  vear. 
15* 


458  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

By  this  time  the  steady  advance  of  the  dinner  hour  had 
progressed  so  far  that  on  very  formal  occasions  it  was  as 
late  as  the  usual  family  hour  of  to-day,  seven  o'clock. 

Francis  L.  Waddell,  a  brother  of  William  C.  H.  Wad- 
dell,  and  known  as  "  Frank,"  was  a  widely  known  char- 
acter; he  married  a  daughter  of  the  late  Thomas  H. 
Smith,  who  had  been  the  leading  tea  importer  of  the 
United  States,  and  in  this  year  visiting  Washington,  we 
renewed  what  had  been  a  school-boy  acquaintance. 
There  was  a  sui generis  in  his  manner,  and  piquancy  in 
his  conversation,  added  to  humor  and  wit,  that  rendered 
him  very  agreeable  company;  so  much  so  that,  at  the 
United  States  Hotel  at  Saratoga,  where  he  usually  re- 
sorted in  the  summer  season,  he  was  a  welcome  guest  of 
the  proprietor,  who  held  that  he  gained  more  by  his  com- 
pany than  the  cost  of  it.  He  not  only  wrote  good  poetry, 
but  his  Solus  populi  supremo  lex,  as  an  introduction  to 
his  eulogy  on  Dr.  Home,  will  never  be  forgotten  by 
those  who  heard  it. 

In  this  year  Mrs.  A.  J.  Bloomer  of  Homer,  X.  Y., 
issued  a  paper  advocating  woman  suffrage,  and  also  de- 
signed a  costume  for  women,  the  salient  features  of  which 
were  pantaloons  of  a  light  texture,  the  skirt  of  the  dress 
extending  just  below  the  knees,  and  a  sombrero  for  the 
head.  The  ensemble  was  known  as  the  Bloomer  dress;  it 
was  adopted  for  a  time  and  to  a  moderate  extent,  chiefly 
in  rural  districts,  and  excited  much  comment  both  in  this 
country  and  Europe.  It  chances  that,  as  these  lines  are 
written  (January,  1895),  we  observe  the  news  of  Mrs. 
Bloomer's  recent  death.  She  was  a  quiet,  domestic, 
religious  woman. 

December  10,  Ellen  and  Kate  Bateman,  aged  four  and 
six  years,  made  their  first  appearance  in  New  York  at  the 
Broadway  Theatre  in  tragedy  and  comedy.  The  acting 
of  these  children  displayed  almost  incredible  intelligence, 
and    they    were    so    different    from     the    usual    "infant 


WILLIAM    F.    HAVEMEYER,    MAYOR  459 

wonder"  class  that  the  judicious  did  not  grieve  to  see 
their  impersonations  of  Shylock,  Richard  III.,  Richmond, 
Portia,  Lady  Macbeth,  etc.  They  were  daughters  of  H. 
L.  Bateman,  then  an  actor. 

1850.  Even  so  late  as  this  date  the  northern  boundary 
of  New  York  could  not  be  placed  above  Thirty-fourth 
Street,  with  many  open  spaces  below  that  line.  Bloom- 
ingdale,  Manhattanville,  Vorkville,  and  Harlem  were  still 
remote  and  isolated  villages.  But  the  city  continued  its 
rapid  growth,  fully  meeting  in  this  regard  the  most  san- 
guine expectations.  The  prices  of  real  estate,  however, 
were  very  modest  as  compared  with  those  of  to-day; 
thus,  in  January  of  this  year  Mr.  Henry  C.  DeRham 
bought  from  the  heirs  of  Henry  Brevoort  the  house  and 
land,  corner  of  Ninth  Street  and  Fifth  Avenue,  ninety-two 
feet  on  the  avenue  and  one  hundred  and  twenty-six  feet 
deep,  for  fifty-seven  thousand  dollars. 

Nicholas  Salt  us  ("  Nick"),  before  referred  to  in  these 
Reminiscences,  died  on  January  25,  aged  seventy  years. 

January  28.  From  the  ship-yard  of  Win.  H.  Brown, 
foot  of  Twelfth  Street,  East  River,  there  were  three 
steamers  launched  in  succession:  first,  the  New  World, 
of  six  hundred  and  fifty  tons,  designed  and  constructed 
for  service  in  California,  completely  fitted,  and  upon 
being  disengaged  from  her  launching  hawsers  her  engine 
was  put  in  motion;  second,  the  Boston,  of  eight  hundred 
tons,  designed  to  ply  between  Boston  and  Bangor;  and 
lastly  the  Arctic,  the  third  of  the  steamers  of  the  New 
York  and  Liverpool  Steamship  Co.  (Collins  Line). 

An  enormous  crowd  witnessed  the  launch  of  this,  the 
largest  vessel  that  then  had  been  built  in  this  country, 
the  Arctic  having  a  length  on  deck  of  two  hundred  and 
ninety-five  feet,  and  being  of  three  thousand  five  hun- 
dred tons  burthen,  with  water-wheels  thirty-five  feet 
in  diameter;  for  my  readers  must  remember  that  ocean 
steamers  then   were   chiefly    "  side-wheelers,"   or  paddle- 


460  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

boats.  The  name  of  this  vessel  is  of  mournful  sound 
even  until  this  day,  for  the  Arctic  suffered  a  notable 
disaster  by  collision  with  the  Vesta  in  1854,  with  great 
loss  of  life.  Her  consort,  the  Pacific,  also,  was  lost  in 
some  manner  ever  unknown,  perhaps  by  collision  with  an 
iceberg  while  racing  the  Cunarder  Persia;  she  never  was 
heard  of,  neither  was  any  trace  of  her  ever  discovered. 
These  disasters  availed,  with  other  causes,  to  end  the 
once  favorite  Collins  Line,  in  1858. 

In  this  year  the  Inman  Line,  or  the  Liverpool,  New 
York,  and  Philadephia  Steamship  Co.,  now  known  as  the 
American  Line,  commenced  operation. 

February  4,  the  200-horse  power  boiler  in  A.  B. 
Taylor's  machine  shop,  at  5  and  7  Hague  Street,  ex- 
ploded at  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  the  six- 
story  building  containing  it  was  shaken  to  the  ground. 
Sixty- three  dead  bodies  were  taken  from  the  ruins  during 
a  week's  search. 

In  April  the  National  Academy  of  Design  opened  its 
quarters  in  Broadway  opposite  Bond  Street,  where  stables 
had  been  transformed  into  a  home  of  art. 

Henry  Grinnell,  a  retired  merchant,  entertained  the 
design  of  an  expedition  to  the  North  Sea,  in  search  of 
Sir  John  Franklin,  and  in  pursuance  of  his  purpose  pur- 
chased two  vessels  which  he  named  Advance  and  Rescue; 
and  proffered  them  to  the  Government,  which  early  in 
May  accepted  them,  and  appointed  Lieutenant  DeHaven, 
U.  S.  N.,  to  command  the  expedition.  It  departed  from 
New  York  on  May  22,  and  although  it  failed  to  find  Sir 
John,  it  proceeded  so  far  north  as  to  add  to  previous  dis- 
coveries, in  a  tract  which  was  named  Grinnell  Land,  and 
to  verify  the  opinion  that  existed  as  to  the  presence  of  a 
Polar  Sea.  The  expedition  arrived  here  on  its  return 
September  30,  1851. 

April  10,  the  New  York  and  Virginia  Steamship  Co. 
was  chartered,  and  soon  commenced  service  between  this 


CALEB    S.    WOODHULL,    MAYOR  46 1 

city  and  Norfolk,  and  subsequently  to  Richmond.  It 
was  succeeded  by  the  Old  Dominion  Steamship  Co.  in 
1868. 

At  this  period  Broadway  was  undergoing  a  rapid  change 
into  a  street  of  trade.  The  City  Hotel,  after  its  long 
existence,  at  last  disappeared,  giving  way  to  a  row  of 
shops.  A.  T.  Stewart  extended  his  own  building  to  the 
corner  of  Reade  Street.  All  through  Broadway,  nearly 
to  Bleecker  Street,  residences  were  coming  down  to  be 
replaced  by  structures  for  business  purposes. 

June.  Edwin  Forrest,  who  was  then  in  litigation  with 
his  wife,  was  incensed  with  X.  P.  Willis  on  account  of  his 
action  and  expressions  in  the  case,  and  meeting  him  in 
Washington  Square,  he  first  knocked  him  down  and  then 
lashed  him  very  severely  with  a  flexible  cane.  Willis  was 
reported  as  having  called  for  help,  and  as  the  crowd 
attracted  to  the  scene  was  disposed  to  respond  to  the 
appeal,  Forrest  shouted,  "Stand  back,  all  of  you;  this  is 
a  family  matter!  " 

In  July  the  Collins  steamer  Atlantic  performed  the 
quickest  passage  then  recorded  between  Liverpool  and 
Xew  York,  in  ten  days  and  fifteen  hours.  The  highly 
successful  result  of  this  second  voyage — the  first  leaving 
here  April  27 — on  the  part  of  one  of  our  countrymen  to 
compete  with  the  Cunard  Line,  was  hailed  with  enthusi- 
asm, and  Mr.  E.  K.  Collins,  the  projector  and  agent  of 
the  line,  was  presented  by  the  merchants  of  the  city  with 
a  gold  dinner-set.  Not  only  were  the  vessels  of  the 
Cunard  Line  beaten  in  speed,  but  the  American  line  was 
superior  in  convenience  and  elegance  of  equipment. 
Soon  after  the  fleet  was  increased  by  the  addition  of  the 
Arctic  and  Baltic,  and  later  the  Adriatic. 

July  24,  took  place  the  funeral  observances,  under 
•  are  of  the  city  authorities,  in  honor  of  the  President, 
(General  Zachary  Taylor,  who  had  died  a  fortnight 
earlier.      A  military  and  civic   procession   five  miles  long 


462  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

was  witnessed  by  a  crowd  of  spectators  estimated  to 
number  a  quarter  of  a  million.  The  whole  proceeding 
was  marked  by  most  orderly,  becoming,  and  even  solemn 
behavior. 

September  3,  the  New  York  and  Erie  Railroad  was 
opened  to  the  end  of  the  Susquehanna  Division  at  Horn- 
ellsville,  X.  Y. 

September  24.  The  steamer  Pacific  of  the  Xew  York 
and  Liverpool  Steamship  Co.  (Collins  Line)  arrived  from 
Liverpool  in  the  short  time  of  ten  days  and  four  hours, 
from  Rock  Light  to  her  berth  at  Canal  Street,  beating 
the  Cunard  steamer.  The  Pacific  was  a  sister  ship  to 
the  Atlantic.  The  Arctic  and  Baltic,  which  followed,  had 
greater  power  and  were  materially  faster;  beating  the 
Cunarders  from  two  to  four  days. 

During  this  summer  the  opera  company  from  the 
Tacon  Theatre  of  Havana  had  been  giving  performances 
at  Castle  Garden  at  fifty  cents'  admission,  beginning 
early  in  July.  This  was  by  far  the  finest  company  that 
had  visited  Xew  York,  and  created  a  profound  sensation 
here.  Old  citizens  will  thank  me  for  recalling  the  de- 
light suggested  by  mention  of  the  mere  names  of  the 
prime  domic,  Steffanone  and  Tedesco;  the  tenors  Salvi 
and  Bettini;  and  the  bassos  Coletti  and  Marini.  Ma- 
retzek  engaged  most  of  these  artists,  and  combining  with 
them  the  best  of  his  former  company  (Mme.  Bertucca, 
Signora  Truffi,  Beneventano,  etc.),  gave  a  subsequent  sea- 
son at  Castle  Garden  at  the  same  prices  of  admission. 
but  this  speculation  resulted  in  pecuniary  failure,  in  spite 
of  the  delight  afforded  by  the  performances.  Notwith- 
standing the  charm  of  a  company  so  excellent,  set  in  a 
place  of  such  attraction  in  summer  weather,  surrounded 
by  moon-lighted  water  and  cooled  by  sea  breezes, — al- 
together the  most  delicious  place  of  amusement  New 
York  ever  knew,  —  the  audiences  attracted  by  this  pleasur- 
able combination  were  oftentimes  very  scanty. 


CALEB    S.    WOODHULL,    MAYOR  463 

Meantime  a  new  musical  excitement  was  close  at  hand. 

In  September,  Jenny  Lind,  the  famous  Swedish  singer, 
arrived  in  New  York,  after  a  long  preliminary  course  of 
heralding  by  her  manager,  Barnum,  much  of  it  absurd, 
though  all  of  it  was  effective  with  the  public.  When  her 
steamer  (the  Atlantic)  appeared,  the  wharf  was  crowded 
with  people  eager  with  welcome.  Barnum  offered  two 
hundred  dollars  for  the  best  song  to  be  sung  by  Mile. 
Lind,  for  which  no  less  than  seven  hundred  competitors 
appeared,  the  prize  being  adjudged  to  Bayard  Taylor  by 
a  highly  respectable  committee,  headed  by  George  Ripley. 
Her  concerts  were  intended  to  be  given  in  Tripler  Hall  in 
Broadway  (on  the  site  afterward  occupied  by  the  Winter 
Garden),  but  since  the  structure  was  not  completed  in 
time  for  this  use,  Castle  Garden  was  chosen,  and  here, 
after  an  excited  competition  for  tickets, — the  choice  of 
seats  being  sold  by  auction  at  prices  previously  unheard 
of;  the  highest  being  bid  by  a  hatter,  who  was  thought  to 
be  the  maddest  of  his  tribe,  but,  from  the  advertising 
point  of  view,  was  not  half  so  mad  as  he  seemed, — the 
"  Swedish  Nightingale "  made  her  first  appearance  \\\ 
America  on  the  evening  of  the  nth.  The  scene  on  this 
occasion,  and  the  whole  Jenny  Lind  excitement,  will 
be  remembered  so  long  as  any  arc  living  who  witnessed 
them.  Mile.  Lind's  original  contract  with  Barnum,  of 
one  thousand  dollars  for  each  performance,  was  widely 
advertised  as  proof  of  her  transcendent  merit,  and  so  was 
the  alteration  of  it  to  one-half  of  the  net  profits,  her  share 
of  which  for  the  first  performance  was  twelve  thousand 
six  hundred  dollars.  This  sum  Mile.  Lind  devoted  to 
public  charities  in  New  York,  beginning  with  three  thou- 
sand dollars  for  the  Fire  Department  Fund.  Such  con- 
duct of  course  heightened  the  public  furor,  and  all 
through  the  land,  in  the  newspapers  and  in  households, 
many  tales  of  her  "  angelic  "  nature  were  current.  In 
New  York  crowds   followed   her  wherever  she  went,   so 


464 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


WASHINGTON    PLACE 


that,  in  order  to  secure  some  degree  of  privacy,  she  was 
obliged  to  abandon  her  hotel  (the  Irving  House)  and  find 
a  refuge  in  more  private  quarters.  In  this  campaign  of 
puffing  Barnum  fairly  exceeded  his  own  fame  as  master 
of  the  ways  by  which  public  reputations  may  be  manu- 
factured. In  Mile.  Lind's  case,  however,  there  was  no 
need  of  showman's  tricks,  save  from  the  Barnum  or 
box-office  point  of  view.  Though  her  voice  was  of  no 
remarkable  power  or  beauty,  she  was  artist  to  the  finger- 
lips,  and  her  vocalization  approached  the  utmost  degree 
of  perfection  in  refinement  and  finish. 

So  great  was  the  desire  to  see   her  that  parties  who 


CALEB    S.    WOODHULL,    MAYOR  465 

failed  to  obtain  tickets  for  the  Garden  hired  row-boats 
and  rested  in  the  river  outside  of  the  Garden,  during  the 
performance. 

Tripler  Hall,  having  been  completed,  was  opened  in 
October  with  a  concert  in  which  Jenny  Lind  appeared. 
Mile.  Lind  sang  in  "  The  Messiah  "  on  November  9, 
when  the  Harmonic  Society  repeated  its  performance  of 
that  work.  Tripler  Hall  was  also  the  scene  of  Mme. 
Anna  Bishop's  appearance  in  concert  in  October. 

Maretzek  opened  the  Astor  Place  Opera  House  for  a 
new  season  in  October,  and  on  November  4  the  great 
soprano,  Teresa  Parodi,  made  her  first  appearance  in  the 
character  of  Norma. 

Orphan  Asylum,  incorporated  1807;  West  Seventy- 
third  Street  and  Riverside  Drive.  A  Protestant  asylum 
for  destitute  orphans  from  eighteen  months  to  ten  years 
of  age,  and  for  half-orphans,  when  surviving  parents  are 
either  mentally  or  physically  unable  to  support  them. 

The  editor  of  a  daily  paper  was  cowhided  in  Broadway 
by  Mr.  Graham,  an  unsuccessful  candidate  for  district 
attorney  in  the  election  then  just  concluded. 

Brougham's  Lyceum,  in  Broadway  near  Broome  Street, 
which  afterward  became  Wallack's,  and  still  later  the 
Broadway  Theatre,  was  built  during  this  year,  and 
opened  on  December  23  with  an  ''occasional  rigmarole," 
introducing  all  the  members  of  the  company,  and  a  farce 
in  which  John  L.  Owens,  afterward  so  well  known,  made 
his  first  bow  in  New  York. 

The  Five  Points  Mission  was  now  begun,  under  direc- 
tion of  the  Rev.  Lewis  Morris  Pease. 

Andrew  J.  Downing,  in  letters  to  the  Horticulturist,  in 
the  autumn  of  this  year,  pointed  out  the  lack  of  open 
public  spaces  and  places  for  common  recreation  in  New 
York,  and  urged  the  necessity  of  providing  for  a  great 
Park.  This  was  the  actual  beginning  of  the  Central 
Park,  the  birth  of  the  idea,  and  Downing  should  be  for- 


466  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

ever  remembered  with  gratitude  by  our  people,  and  his 
statue  should  be  raised  by  them  in  the  place  which  they 
owe  primarily  to  his  foresight  and  trained  intelligence. 

In  addition  to  the  "gingerbread  man,"  already  referred 
to,  and  the  "lime-kiln  man," — who  was  known  to  sleep 
on  or  about  lime-kilns  on  the  East  side  near  Fourteenth 
Street,  and  whose  body  was  eventually  found  there, — the 
"blue  man,"  at  about  this  date,  was  to  be  seen  daily  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  Herald  building  on  Broadway;  he 
had  evidently  been  so  liberally  dosed  with  nitrate  of 
silver,  to  correct  epilepsy,  that  his  face  was  strictly  of  a 
blue  color. 

John  Hughes,  who  in  1825  was  ordained  a  priest  in  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church,  and  consecrated  bishop  in  1838, 
was  made  archbishop  in  this  year. 

St.  Luke's  Hospital,  incorporated,  affords  medical  and 
surgical  aid  and  nursing  to  sick  or  disabled,  suffering 
from  acute,  curable,  and  non-contagious  disease,  without 
distinction  of  race  or  creed. 

The  various  labor  organizations  existing  at  this  time 
were  mainly  engaged  in  essaying  to  attain  a  reduction  in 
the  hours  of  work  by  National  and  State  legislation; 
they  entered  very  generally  into  local  politics,  and  many 
candidates  were  put  in  nomination  by  them  for  offices  and 
representatives.  In  1840  the  hours  of  labor  in  all  the 
Navy  Yards  had  been  fixed  at  ten  hours  daily  by  Presi- 
dent Van  Buren.  In  183 1  the  first  Printers'  Union  was 
formed.  In  1829  the  Workingmen's  Party,  which  had 
been  organized  in  the  preceding  year,  first  entered  the 
political  field  and  nominated  candidates  for  office  and 
representation:  at  the  general  election  they  succeeded 
in  electing  one  member  of  the  legislature.  As  early  as 
[825  the  subject  of  greater  wages,  less  hours  of  work,  and 
legal  protection  was  put  forth  by  labor  organizations 
and  political  aspirants  who  sought  to  avail  themselves  of 
the  popular  excitement. 

1851.    About  the  year   1  S3 1     "animal  magnetism"   or 


AMBROSE    C.     KIXGSLAXD,    MAYOR  467 

"  mesmerism  "  was  brought  into  public  notice  in  con- 
sequence of  a  report  on  the  subject  made  to  the  Royal 
Academy  of  Medicine  in  Paris,  evolving  much  literature, 
public  and  private  discussion,  and  exhibitions  or  seances, 
as  they  were  termed.  In  1837  a  further  report  was  made 
to  the  French  Academy,  which  it  adopted,  and  which 
was  of  a  nature  to  discourage  adherents  to  the  doctrine, 
as  the  Academy  offered  a  prize  in  money  to  any  "clair- 
voyant "  who  should  perform  certain  feats  asserted  to 
be  of  common  occurrence;  but  although  several  contest- 
ants for  the  prize  made  efforts  during  these  years,  they 
met  only  complete  failures.  Nevertheless,  in  this  year 
the  subject  was  again  revived  with  some  variations  in 
England,  under  the  designation  of  "  hypnotism,"  under 
which  it  has  remained  in  discussion  to  this  time,  with 
results  sufficiently  familiar  to  my  readers.  I  may  add, 
however,  that  the  modern  speculation  about  hypnotism 
has  not  in  any  equal  degree  excited  the  popular  interest 
in  this  country  in  the  debates  elicited  by  animal  mag- 
netism, which  a  few  years  previously  was  a  theme  of 
common  talk  among  the  people.  The  doctrine  of  clair- 
voyance, and  the  like,  became  advanced  by  spiritualists 
and  queer  and  eccentric  people  generally,  which  prob- 
ably tended  to  the  decline  of  the  movement  among  the 
masses  of  our  population. 

The  publisher  of  the  City  Directory  for  this  year  gave, 
in  addition  to  the  names  and  residences  of  individuals, 
etc.,  an  additional  book,  in  which  the  avenues  and  streets 
were  alphabetically  given  with  the  numbers,  and  opposite 
to  these  the  names  of  the  residents  or  occupants  of  the 
building. 

Canal  Street  was  extended  to  Mulberry,  and  Walker 
Street  widened  twenty-five  feet  on  the  north  side  from 
Mulberry  to  Division  Street,  and  extended  to  East  Broad- 
way. Dey  Street,  between  Broadway  and  Greenwich 
Street,  was  widened. 


468  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

May  5,  Mayor  Kingsland  submitted  to  the  Common 
Council  a  message  in  which  he  set  forth  the  propriety 
and  necessity  of  early  action  in  the  matter  of  a  new  Park, 
according  to  the  suggestion  made  by  A.  J.  Downing  in 
the  preceding  year.  The  Common  Council,  approving 
the  design,  voted  to  solicit  the  legislature  for  authority 
to  acquire  the  land.  It  may  be  more  convenient  if  1  fix 
here  a  summary  of  the  further  proceedings  instead  of 
distributing  the  incidents  under  the  various  years  of 
their  occurrence:  In  1853,  a  committee  of  the  Common 
Council  recommended  that  the  park  should  be  located  on 
the  property  known  as  "Jones's  Wood,"  on  the  East 
side,  opposite  Blackwell's  Island;  and  in  order  to  give 
an  opportunity  to  examine  the  location  a  steamboat  was 
chartered  and  members  of  the  legislature  and  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  and  others  were  invited  to  proceed  to 
the  locality;  President  Pierce  being  a  guest  of  the  party. 
As  a  result  of  the  observation,  the  opinion  was  generally 
entertained  that  the  location  not  only  was  not  sufficiently 
central,  but  that  one  side  of  it  being  bounded  by  a  deep 
stream  and  rapid  current,  the  facility  with  which  persons 
or  bodies  could  be  projected  into  it,  might  lead  to  com- 
mission of  crime.  Therefore,  in  the  same  year,  author- 
ity having  been  granted  by  the  legislature,  commissioners 
of  estimate  and  assessment  for  the  land  now  occupied  by 
the  Central  Park  were  appointed  by  the  Supreme  Court 
in  the  autumn.  And  on  February  5,  1856,  the  court  con- 
firmed the  report  of  these  commissioners,  which  awarded 
for  damages,  $5, 169,369.69,  and  for  benefits  $1,657,590.00, 
and  the  Common  Council  immediately  appropriated  the 
sum  of  more  than  five  millions  for  the  expenditure 
necessary  at  that  time,  and  on  May  19  appointed  a  com- 
mission to  take  in  charge  the  work  of  construction. 
The  commission  was  aided  by  a  consulting  committee, 
which  included  Washington  Irving,  Win.  C.  Bryant,  and 
George  Bancroft.     This  committee  first  met  on  May  29, 


AMBROSE    C.    KINGSLAND,    MAYOR 


469 


1856.  Action  by  the  commission  being  held  to  be  dila- 
tory, the  legislature,  in  1857.  appointed  a  new  board, 
which  invited  designs,  and  in  this  year,  on  April  1,  from 
thirty-three  plans  submitted,  that  of  Fredk.  L.  Olmsted 
and  Calvert  Vaux  was  approved,  and  the  work  was  begun. 
By  the  original  design  the  northern  boundary  of  the  park 
was  fixed  at  One  Hundred  and  Sixth  Street,  but  in  1859 
it  was  transferred  to  One  Hundred  and  Tenth  Street. 

May  14,  185 1,  the  New  York  and  Erie  Railroad,  having 
been  completed  to  its  western  terminus  at  Dunkirk, 
N.    Y.,  was  formally  opened   with  great  ceremony,   two 


!lll!li|l«J:liil[lL| 


HLF.V's    FIFTH    WARD   HOTEL,  CORNER    FRANKLIN    AND  CHAI'KL  STREETS 


4JO  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

trains  conveying  President  Fillmore,  Daniel  Webster,  and 
a  large  company  of  distinguished  men,  making  an  excur- 
sion over  the  entire  line,  from  Piermont,  N.  Y.,  to  Dun- 
kirk.    This  was  the  first  trunk  line  from  New  York. 

June  17,  Barnum's  "Lecture  Room  "  was  opened  for 
presentation  of  "moral  domestic  drama."  It  was  really 
a  theatre  (though  a  poor  one),  called  Lecture  Room  to 
attract  the  public  that  avoided  theatres.  Performances 
were  here  given  continually,  and  while  the  stage  was 
a  good  place  for  beginners,  children  and  visitors  from 
the  rural  districts  were  delighted  in  front. 

The  labors  of  Dr.  John  Dennis  Russ  in  behalf  of  the 
reformation  of  juveniles  resulted  this  year  in  the  incor- 
poration of  the  New  York  Juvenile  Asylum,  located  at 
One  Hundred  and  Seventy-sixth  Street  and  Amsterdam 
Avenue.  It  is  held  that  the  labors  of  Dr.  Russ  and  the 
incorporation  of  the  asylum  were  the  result  of  the  Astor 
Place  Riot. 

Williams  &  Guion  in  this  year  incorporated  the  Black 
Star  Line  of  sailing  packets  to  Liverpool. 

The  demand  of  the  China  and  India  trade  for  vessels 
of  greater  speed  than  the  type  of  the  time  (1843-44)  ad- 
mitted of,  led  to  the  construction  in  1844  of  vessels  of 
different  proportions,  having  greater  length  to  beam, 
greater  rise  of  floors,  and  finer  ends;  and  they,  in  conse- 
quence of  their  greater  speed,  were  termed  and  known  as 
"clippers."  The  first  of  this  class  was  the  Rainbow^  of 
750  tons,  and  the  Sea  Witch,  of  907  tons,  both  built  by 
Smith  &  Dimon  for  Howland  &  Aspinwall;  then  the 
Helena  of  650  tons,  by  Win.  H.  Webb  for  N.  L.  &  ('.. 
Griswold;  then  the  Samuel  Russell  of  940  tons,  by  Brown 
&  Bell,  for  A.  A.  Low  &  Brother.  In  succeeding  years 
there  followed  the  Snow  Squall,  White  Squall,  Black 
Squall,  Invincible,  Sword  Fish,  Flying  Cloud,  Trade  Mind, 
Lightnings  Comet,  Red  Jacket,  and  others. 

When   this  class  of    vessels  was  first    brought    to    the 


AMBROSE    C.    KINGSLAND,    MAYOR  471 

attention  of  English  shippers  and  builders,  the  custom- 
ary dissent  and  ridicule  of  ''Yankee  notions"  were  both 
entertained  and  proclaimed;  but  when  the  Surprise,  of 
A.  A.  Low  &  Brother,  reached  San  Francisco  from  this 
port  in  ninety  days,  with  a  cargo  of  1800  tons,  and  dis- 
charging, loading,  and  leaving  for  London  via  Canton, 
arrived  there  with  the  first  cargo  of  tea  and  freight  at 
six  pounds  sterling  per  ton  (while  English  vessels  were 
obtaining  but  from  three  to  four  pounds),  netting  her 
owners  fifty  thousand  dollars  in  excess  of  her  cost  and 
running  expenses,  -our  English  brothers,  with  their 
practical  good  sense,  especially  whenever  the  oppor- 
tunity is  presented  to  them  to  reap  an  advantage, 
were  not  slow  to  avail  themselves  of  the  example  thus 
presented,  and  however  distasteful  it  was  to  them  to  be 
goaded  on  by  "Yankees,"  yet  they  discarded  sentiment 
and  built  "clipper"  ships. 

In  1846  Captain  Win.  Skiddy  had  built  in  Boston  by 
Donald  McKay  the  ship  New  Worldy  of  1400  tons,  then 
the  largest  merchantman  in  the  world.  He  soon  after 
sold  a  large  share  of  her  to  Grinnell,  Minturn  &  Co. 
In  1 85 1,  the  California  trade  requiring  larger  clippers, 
Win.  H.  Webb  built  for  X.  L.  ,V  G.  Griswold  the  Chal- 
lenge, of  2006  tons,  and  the  Invincible,  of  2150. 

Of  the  great  speed  attained  by  these  vessels  I  cite  the 
following  in  addition  to  that  of  the  Surprise:  Xew  York 
to  San  Francisco,  the  Sea  Witch,  in  ninety-seven  days; 
and  the  Flying  Cloud,  1784  tons,  in  eighty-four,  and  on  one 
day  433J4  miles  (knots).  The  Samuel  Russell  on  a  voyage 
to  Canton  made  328  miles  (knots)  in  one  day,  and  the 
Sovereign  of  the  Seas,  of  2421  tons,  from  San  Francisco, 
for  twenty-two  days  averaged  283.9  miles  (knots)  per 
day,  and  ran  from  Xew  York  to  Liverpool  in  thirteen 
days  and  nineteen  hours.  The  Dreadnought,  belonging 
to  E.  D.  Morgan,  Captain  Samuels,  and  others,  beat  the 
Canada   steamer   from    Liverpool,    though    the   Cunarder 


472  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

had  a  day's  start;  the  clipper  reaching  Sandy  Hook  be- 
fore the  steamer  arrived  at  Boston.  The  Comet  sailed 
from  here  to  San  Francisco  and  back  in  seven  months 
and  nine  days,  the  return  passage  occupying  only 
seventy-six    days    (the    shortest   on    record). 

Such  were  some  of  the  triumphs  of  the  golden  days  of 
American  ship-building,  when  the  flag  was  seen  in  every 
port  of  the  world,  flying  over  the  most  finished  speci- 
mens of  marine  structure  ever  known.  In  those  days 
(1840-60)  the  ship-yards  extended  along  the  East  River 
from  Pike  to  Thirteenth  Street,  employing  thousands  of 
skilled  workmen  whose  intelligence  and  character  were 
of  the  sturdiest  foundations  of  our  civil  government. 
This  mighty  industry  has  been  destroyed  by  ignorant 
legislation.  By  1849,  however,  the  success  of  the 
Cunard  Line  of  steamers  began  to  affect  not  only  the 
further  building  of  our  foreign  packets,  but  to  cause 
them  gradually  to  lapse  from  freight  and  passenger 
traffic  to  freight  alone. 

The  yacht  America,  schooner  of  170  tons  (Custom 
House  measurement),  the  winner  of  the  Queen's  Cup, 
which  was  contended  for  under  the  direction  of  the 
Royal  Yacht  Squadron  of  England  off  the  Isle  of 
Wight,  was  designed  by  George  Steers  of  Henry  & 
George  Steers,  ship-builders  of  this  city,  and  built  by 
his  firm  for  John  C.  and  Edwin  A.  Stevens,  George 
L.  Schuyler,  J.  Beekman  Finlay,  and  Hamilton  Wilkes. 
Leaving  here  in  July,  she  arrived  at  Havre,  where  she 
was  fitted  with  her  racing  spars  and  sails,  and  in  her 
passage  to  the  Isle  of  Wight  she  encountered  the 
schooner  Livonia,  evidently  detailed  to  test  her  speed, 
of  which  the  owner  soon  became  so  well  cognizant  that, 
upon  Commodore  Stevens  posting  an  offer  in  the  Club 
House  of  a  bet  upon  the  result  of  the  approaching  contest 
of  from  one  guinea  to  five  thousand,  it  was  not  taken. 
It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  the  Livonia  had  been  waiting 


AMBROSE    C.    KINGSLAND,    MAYOR  473 

the  coming  of  the  America  for  several  days,  and  imme- 
diately upon  her  appearance  joined  company,  the  purpose 
of  which  was  so  patent  that  for  a  moment  the  question 
was  with  Commodore  Stevens,  and  his  companions, 
"  Shall  we  compete  with  her,  or  conceal  our  capacity?" 
The  consideration  was  of  brief  duration;  it  being  chival- 
rously decided  that  notwithstanding  the  action  of  the 
Livonia's  owner  was  indelicate,  and  but  a  transfer  of 
the  " touting"  of  a  race-course  to  the  water,  the  yacht 
should  continue  her  course  without  any  notice  of  the 
competition. 

Soon  after  a  pilot  for  the  America  had  been  engaged 
Commodore  Stevens  received  several  anonymous  letters, 
stating  that  the  pilot  would  sell  him,  etc. ;  but  the  com- 
modore not  only  did  not  heed  them,  but  upon  being  ques- 
tioned in  relation  to  them,  he  replied:  "The  commodore 
of  the  British  club,  in  providing  the  man,  said  he  would 
be  responsible  for  his  faithfulness,  and  consequently  I 
am  fully  satisfied,  having  the  word  of  a  gentleman." 

The  rules  of  the  race  did  not  give  any  allowance  for 
tonnage,  but  Commodore  Stevens  declared  he  would  not 
start  in  less  than  a  six-knot  breeze.  There  were  fifteen 
starters,  ranging  from  47  to  392  tons,  and  the  America 
not  only  won  by  some  25  minutes,  but  proved  to  be  much 
the  faster  vessel  on  all  points  of  sailing.  So  marvellous 
was  the  performance  of  the  America  held  to  be  that  there 
were  many  who  believed  there  was  some  propelling 
machinery  on  board  of  her.  In  illustration  of  this  opin- 
ion: Lord  Yarborough  visited  her,  and  after  looking  all 
through  between  decks,  boldly  asked  the  sailing-master 
Brown,  who  was  in  charge,  to  lift  the  hatch  in  the  cock- 
pit, in  order  that  he  might  be  fully  advised  upon  the 
question  of  the  alleged  existence  of  a  propelling  machine 
in  her  stern. 

The  cup  was  open  to  the  yachts  of  the  clubs  of  all 
nations. 


474  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  race  the  wind  fell,  and 
although  the  America  had  been  many  miles  ahead  of  all 
her  competitors,  a  very  small  yacht  by  running  close  to 
the  shore,  thus  avoiding  the  strength  of  the  adverse  tide, 
was  enabled  to  gain  upon  the  America  so  as  to  reduce  her 
lead  to  twenty-five  minutes. 

July.  The  Common  Council  passed  an  ordinance  to 
extend  the  area  of  the  Battery,  which  was  vetoed  by  the 
Mayor. 

July  15,  Edwin  Forrest  sued  N.  P.  Willis  for  twenty 
thousand  dollars  alleged  damages  to  his  character,  and 
he  also  commenced  proceedings  to  obtain  a  divorce  from 
his  wife  Catharine  N.  Fisher,  ne'e  Sinclair. 

Mme.  D'Amsmont,  "  Fanny  "  (Frances)  Wright,  applied 
for  a  divorce  from  the  man  she  had  married  while  engaged 
in  lecturing  and  writing  against  marriage. 

James  Fenimore  Cooper  died  on  September  14,  and  on 
the  15th  a  memorial  meeting  was  held  at  the  City  Hall 
under  the  presidency  of  Washington  Irving;  and  on  Feb- 
ruary 24,  1852,  a  more  formal  meeting  was  convened  at 
Metropolitan  Hall  (once  Tripler  Hall,  afterward  the 
Winter  Garden,  in  Broadway,  near  Bond  Street).  On 
this  occasion  Daniel  Webster  presided,  supported  by 
Irving,  and  Bryant  delivered  the  address.  Reproduc- 
tions from  a  sketch  by  the  venerable  artist,  Mr.  I). 
Huntington,  of  these  three  men  as  they  appeared  on  the 
occasion,  are  still  treasured  in  New  York  families. 

Booth's  last  appearance  in  New  York  was  on  Sep- 
tember 19.  His  last  appearance  on  any  stage  was  on 
November  19  of  the  next  year  (1852)  at  the  St.  Charles 
Theatre,  in  New  Orleans.  Four  days  after  that  he  died 
on  board  a  steamboat  for  Cincinnati. 

On  October  3,  the  Hudson  River  Railroad,  chartered 
May  12,   1846,  was  opened  to  Albany. 

December  5,  Louis  Kossuth,  the  Hungarian  patriot, 
arrived   in  New  York  on  the  United  States  war  steamer 


AMBROSE    C.    KINGSLAND,    MAYOR 


475 


Mississippi,  which  had  been  sent  by  our  Government  to 
convey  him  hither  as  the  nation's  guest.  Here  he  was 
received  with  unbounded  enthusiasm;  crowds  followed 
him  in  the  streets,  hung  upon  his  words,  and  noted  his 
actions  and  his  very  attire.     Imitation,   that   "  sincerest 


lb 


VANDENHEUVEL  MANSION,   LATER  BURNHAM'S  HOTEL,  BROADWAY  AND 
SEVENTY-EIGHTH  TO  SEVENTY-NINTH   STREET 


form  of  flattery,"  introduced  into  common  use  the  "Kos- 
suth hat"  in  the  place  of  the  more  formal  headgear  pre- 
viously worn.  At  Washington  Kossuth  had  distinguished 
honors  paid  to  him.  He  visited  most  of  the  chief  cities 
and  addressed  great  meetings  with  moving  eloquence. 
His  efforts,  however,  to  raise  funds  for  renewing  the 
struggle  of  Hungary  with    Austria    were    not    very   sue- 


476  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

cessful,  especially  since  the  news  of  Louis  Napoleon's 
coup  d'etat,  shortly  after  Kossuth's  arrival,  seemed  to 
presage  a  considerable  change  in  European  politics. 
Kossuth  returned  to  Europe  in  July  of  the  next  year. 

September  18,  Henry  J.  Raymond,  who  in  1841  was 
engaged  as  a  reporter  on  the  Tribune  at  ten  dollars  a  week, 
organized  and  founded  the  New  York  Times,  which  first 
was  published  at  113  Nassau  Street,  and  afterward  at  the 
corner  of  Nassau  and  Beekman  streets,  until  removed 
in  1857  to  its  present  site. 

The  Nicaragua  route  to  San  Francisco  was  opened  in 
this  year. 

Astor  Place  Opera  House,  at  the  end  of  the  first  "  live 
seasons'  subscription,"  was  given  over  to  business  and  the 
occupancy  of  the  Mercantile  Library;  being  remodelled 
for  the  purpose,  and  taking  the  old  name  of  Clinton  Hall 
after  the  library's  earlier  home.  Now  even  the  building 
has  disappeared;  its  graceful  proportions  giving  way  to  a 
new  structure,  larger  and  more  convenient,  no  doubt, 
but  in  point  of  architecture  showing  a  mournful  decline 
of  taste  as  compared  with  its  predecessor. 

December  3,  Niblo's  Garden  was  remarkable  for  the 
appearance  of  Adelina  Patti,  whose  voice  and  execu- 
tion, though  she  was  but  a  child  of  eight  years,  excited 
very  great  admiration  and  astonishment.  Mine.  Patti 
herself  has  lately  said  of  this  concert: 

I  sang  on  the  stage  from  my  seventh  to  my  eleventh  year,  and  carried 
on  my  doll  when  I  made  my  first  appearance  in  public  at  the  former  age, 
singing  "All!  non  giunge" — the  finale  of  the  third  act  of  "La  Son- 
nambula " — in  a  concert  at  Niblo's  Garden,  December  3,  1851.  I 
remember  that  occasion  as  well  as  though  it  were  yesterday,  and  can 
even  recall  the  dress  I  wore — a  white  silk  with  little  trimming. 

December  29  first  appeared  Lola  Montez,  a  danseuse 
of  considerable  and  various  fame,  who  appealed  rather  to 
nature  than  to  the  artistic  sense.      She  attracted  crowded 


AMBROSE    C.    KINGSLAND,    MAYOR  477 

houses  for  a  short  time,  although  scarcely  fulfilling  public 
expectation.  She  had  many  travels  and  adventures  in 
this  country,  in  which,  I  think,  she  passed  the  remainder 
of  her  career;  at  any  rate  she  died  here  about  ten  years 
later  than  this  date,  closing  a  turbulent  life  in  poverty 
and  humility. 

In  this  year  ironical  fate  destroyed  by  fire  the  fire-alarm 
bell  on  the  tower  at  Sixth  Avenue  and  Tenth  Street. 

Sixth  Avenue  Railroad  opened  and  its  operation  com- 
menced. 

About  this  period  there  daily  appeared  on  Nassau 
Street  a  large  and  lugubrious  man  with  a  stentorian  voice, 
who  announced  "  twenty-five  self-sealing  envelopes,  all 
for  four  cents" — the  four  cents  being  especially  dwelt 
upon.  He  was  a  positive  nuisance,  not  only  to  the 
neighbors,  but  to  passers-by;  but  it  was  found  to  be 
impracticable  to  suppress  him,  and  he  continued  his 
vocation  for  some  three  years,  when  he  was  providentially 
removed.  So  notorious  was  he  that  when  one  wished  to 
express  his  disapproval  of  a  measure  he  deemed  of  insuffi- 
cient character,  he  termed  it  a  ''four-cent  affair." 

The  "razor-strop  man"  on  the  corner  of  Pine  and 
Nassau  streets  was  a  like  nuisance  for  many  years,  till 
he  was  in  a  like  manner  removed. 

In  1808  the  city  was  divided  into  ten  wards;  in  1825 
the  number  was  increased  to  twelve;  in  1827  to  fourteen; 
in  1832,  by  dividing  the  Ninth  Ward,  to  fifteen;  in  1836 
the  Sixteenth  Ward  was  made  of  a  part  of  the  Twelfth; 
in  1837  the  Seventeenth  was  made  out  of  a  part  of  the 
Eleventh;  in  1846  the  Sixteenth  was  divided  by  the 
making  of  the  Eighteenth ;  in  1850  the  Nineteenth  was 
made  out  of  a  part  of  the  Twelfth,  and  in  this  year  the 
Twentieth  was  made  out  of  a  part  of  the  Sixteenth. 


CHAPTER   XXIV 

1852,    1853,    1854.— AMBROSE    C-     KINGSLAND,    1852;    JACOB  A. 
WESTE*RVELT,     1853    AND    1854,    MAYORS 

1852.  The  New  York  and  Harlem  Railroad  was  opened 
to  Chatham  Four  Corners.  In  this  year  Liberty  Street 
was  widened  from  Greenwich  to  Broadway,  and  Washing- 
ton Street  was  extended  from  Twelfth  to  Gansevoort. 

The  city  purchased  from  A.  R.  Lawrence  sixty  acres 
more  or  less  on  Ward's  Island,  paying  about  fifteen  hun- 
dred dollars  per  acre,  and  sixteen  more  acres  of  other 
parties,  at  about  the  same  price.  The  rest  of  the  Island 
is  owned  by  the  State. 

When  the  grading  of  Fifth  Avenue  from  Thirty-fourth 
Street  to  Forty-fifth  was  under  consideration,  and  the 
Committee  on  Streets  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  was  in 
session,  two  individuals  presented  themselves  whose 
interests  were  directly  at  variance.  One  of  them,  who 
during  the  war  of  1813  had  supplied  the  army  with 
groceries,  when  an  elevation  of  the  proposed  change  of 
grade  was  shown  him,  and  its  advantage  vaunted, 
declared  that  "he  could  not  see  it";  whereupon  the 
other  person  replied  that  he  was  not  at  all  surprised,  as 
a  man  who  during  the  late  war  could  not  tell  the  differ- 
ence between  corn-meal  and  ground  ginger  could  not  be 
expected  to  see  much. 

January  5,  Mt.  Sinai  Hospital  incorporated,  Twenty- 
eighth  Street,  between  Seventh  and  Eighth  avenues;  a 
general  hospital  for  the  medical  and  surgical  care  of  all 
'iceds  and  classes,  except  sufferers  from  infectious 
diseases.       Free  to  worthy  indigent  sick. 


AMBROSE    C.    KINGSLAND,   MAYOR  479 

January  21,  the  "  Tea  Room"  of  the  Common  Council 
was  restored. 

January  26,  the  suit  of  Edwin  Forrest  for  a  divorce 
from  his  wife,  in  which  many  leading  legal  practitioners 
on  both  sides  were  engaged,  and  which  occupied  Court 
and  jury  for  thirty-two  days,  was  decided  in  favor  of  the 
wife.  A  numerous  band  of  partisans  supported  Forrest 
in  this  controversy,  but  public  sympathy  was  generally 
with  the  wife,  and  Forrest's  reputation  was  not  heightened 
by  the  proceeding. 

At  the  Broadway  Theatre  Forrest,  at  the  end  of  his 
divorce  case,  began  an  engagement  as  Damon  which  really 
was  remarkable,  as  he  continued  it  for  sixty-nine  con- 
secutive nights. 

February  2,  at  Brougham's  Lyceum,  appeared  for 
the  first  time  on  any  stage,  Mrs.  Sinclair,  daughter  of 
the  vocalist,  and  divorced  wife  of  Forrest.  She  made  her 
debut  as  Lady  Teazle,  which  was  accounted  a  triumphant 
success  by  her  friends,  and  ran  for  eight  nights.  Later 
she  was  not  so  successful  with  the  public.  The  opinion 
of  the  more  judicious  part  of  society  was  that  this  play- 
ing against  each  other  of  the  two  parties  to  the  recent 
divorce  proceedings,  and  thus  merchandising  the  sym- 
pathies of  their  friends,  was  not  a  delicate  proceeding. 

Early  in  May,  Charlotte  Cushman  was  seen  here  as 
Rosalind.  She  announced  for  the  14th  a  farewell  benefit 
previous  to  retiring  from  the  stage,  on  which  occasion 
she  produced  "The  Banker's  Wife."  She  retired,  but  to 
no  great  distance,  as  she  appeared  the  next  evening  in 
the  character  of  Meg  Merrilies. 

In  July  the  public  funeral  observance  in  memory  of 
Henry  Clay  was  the  occasion  of  a  great  military  parade. 

July  28.  In  the  afternoon  a  fire  was  discovered  on 
board  the  steamboat  Henry  Clay  on  her  passage  from 
Albany  to  this  city,  and  after  vain  attempts  to  quench  it, 
she   was  headed   for   the  shore,  injudiciously  "head  on," 


480  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

and  as  a  result  all  passengers  abaft  of  the  fire,  which  was 
amidships,  were  compelled  to  leap  into  the  water,  and 
such  as  could  not  swim,  or  were  not  effectually  supported, 
were  drowned.  The  entire  loss  of  life  was  held  to  range 
from  sixty  to  one  hundred,  of  which  number  the  renowned 
and  esteemed  Stephen  Allen  was  one.  He  was  Mayor  of 
the  city  in  182 1  to  1823. 

In  August  of  this  year  three  river  thieves  rowed  along- 
side of  a  ship  in  the  East  River,  two  of  them  boarded  her, 
and  in  progress  of  stealing  aroused  the  night  watchman, 
whom  they  killed  with  a  bullet  from  a  pistol.  George  W. 
AYalling,  afterward  Chief  of  Police,  was  forthwith  de- 
tailed to  discover  the  murderer,  and  upon  the  arrest  of 
the  three  men,  the  one  who  was  left  in  the  boat  turned 
State's  evidence;  the  other  two,  Howlett  and  Saul,  were 
tried,  condemned,  and  hanged.  For  some  years  after 
this  the  depredations  of  river  thieves  were  so  many 
and  so  bold  that  the  organization  of  a  Harbor  Police 
became  a  necessity;  its  custody  of  our  wharves  and  of 
vessels  becoming  so  effective  that  river  thieving  was 
very  effectively  diminished  on  the  New  York  side  of  the 
river. 

August  30,  the  Astor  Place  Opera  House  suffered  its 
change  into  the  New  York  Theatre,  under  Charles  R. 
Thorne,  who  retained  it,  however,  for  less  than  a  month. 
Chanfrau  then  took  the  house,  but  abandoned  it  in  even 
less  time. 

In  the  strait  between  this  city  and  Long  Island, — erro- 
neously termed  a  river  (East),  as  it  is  wholly  deficient  in 
the  characteristics  of  one, — and  at  the  deflection  of  the 
current  between  Astoria  and  Ward's  Island,  there  was, 
when  the  tides  were  running,  an  eddy  of  sufficient  depth 
and  area  to  be  termed  a  whirlpool,  and  it  was  known  as 
Hell  Gate.  At  half  tides  it  was  unsafe  for  small  boats 
to  approach  it.  The  increased  number  of  vessels  that 
passed  through  the  strait    rendered  some  remedial  action 


AMBROSE    C.    KINGSLAND,    MAYOR  48 1 

necessary,  and  in  order  to  ascertain  how  far  the  con- 
formation of  the  bottom  was  conducive  to  the  eddy,  it 
was  sounded  and  the  presence  of  a  projecting  rock  with 
an  overhanging  head  was  discovered;  whereupon  the  city 
appropriated  a  sum  of  money  for  its  destruction,  and 
under  a  contract  with  a  Mr.  Maillefert,  the  operation, 
commenced  late  in  the  preceding  year,  and  finished  in 
this,  proved  to  be  very  successful. 

There  was  a  scandal,  however,  connected  with  this 
contract;  it  being  asserted  that  the  depth  required  was 
not  obtained,  as  the  instrument  or  staff  by  which  the 
depth  was  to  be  arrived  at  was  bored  out  in  the  centre 
for  a  length  of  some  feet,  to  admit  of  what  a  sailor  would 
term  a  sliding  gunter  construction;  that  is,  the  iron  rod 
at  the  base,  instead  of  being  permanently  fixed  to  the 
body  of  the  shaft,  would,  when  meeting  resistance,  slide 
up  in  the  bore;  and  hence  the  depth  of  the  water,  which 
was  read  off  at  the  water-line  on  the  staff,  would  be  re- 
duced as  much  as  the  rod  receded. 

September  i,  the  Metropolitan  Hotel,  at  Broadway  and 
Prince  Street,  was  opened,  having  been  completed  at  the 
cost  of  one  million  of  dollars.  It  was  then  said  to  stand 
at  the  head  of  the  hotels  of  the  world  in  all  points  of 
elegance,  comfort,  and  convenience.  Its  opening  was  cele- 
brated by  a  banquet,  attended  by  five  hundred  persons, 
most  of  them  of  position  in  society,  representing  every 
State  in  the  Union.  The  house  was  kept  by  the  Leland 
Brothers,  famous  in  their  business,  who  had  been  pro- 
prietors of  the  Clinton  Hotel  at  Beekman  and  Nassau 
streets.  They  controlled  it  for  about  twenty  years.  Its 
later  history  is  not  within  the  scope  of  these  "  Remi- 
niscences." 

September    8    was    memorable     for    the    opening   of 

Wailack's    Lyceum;     the    house,    formerly    Brougham's, 

having  been  acquired    by   James   W.    Wallack,    his  sons 

Lester  and  Charles  being  stage-manager   and  treasurer. 

16 


482  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

The  taste  and  elegance  displayed  in  all  its  productions 
gave  it  a  caste  of  the  highest  respectability,  such  as  never 
had  been  enjoyed  by  any  place  of  entertainment  in  New 
York,  save  only  the  old  Park  Theatre.  It  was  occupied 
by  them  until  removal  in  186 1  to  corner  of  Broadway  and 
Thirteenth  Street,  now  the  Star  Theatre.  The  admis- 
sions to  the  theatre  at  this  time  were  fifty  and  twenty- 
five  cents. 

It  was  not  until  about  this  year  that  the  cobblestone 
pavement  in  our  streets  was  in  progress  of  removal, 
substituting  the  successful  Belgian  pavement  of  1832  in 
the  Bowery,  and  repaving  Broadway  with  the  stone  blocks 
designed  by  a  Mr.  Russ,  and  some  of  the  principal  streets 
of  traffic  with  the  Belgian  pavement  of  the  time. 

The  Roman  Catholic  Orphan  Asylum,  which  was  organ- 
ized in  1825,  was  in  this  year  incorporated;  for  girls  on 
Madison  Avenue,  for  boys  on  Fifth  Avenue,  both  between 
Fifty-first  and  Fifty-second  streets.  Orphans  and  half 
orphans,  from  three  to  ten  years,  are  admitted. 

In  this  year  the  Anchor  Steamship  Line  was  established, 
and  commenced  service  between  this  city  and  Glasgow. 

September  27,  Henrietta  Sontag  (Countess  Rossi)  first 
appeared  in  New  York,  in  concert  at  Metropolitan 
(Tripler)  Hall.  Here  she  repeated  the  successes  that 
had  attended  her  in  every  capital  of  the  civilized  world, 
being  an  artist  of  the  very  first  rank  and  a  charming 
woman  in  person  and  character. 

The  total  assessed  value  of  real  and  personal  estates 
was  $351,706,795,  and  the  tax  levy  was  put  at  $3,378,332. 

October  1,  in  consequence  of  a  robbery  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  dollars  from  Messrs.  Brown  Brothers  & 
Co.,  their  bookkeeper  and  a  note-broker  were  subjected 
to  surveillance  by  police  officers. 

In  November  occurred  the  public  ceremonies  of 
mourning  for  the  death  of  Daniel  Webster,  attended,  as 
tiiose    for  Clay  had   been,   by  a  military  procession   and 


AMBROSE    C.    KINGSLAND,    MAYOR  483 

every  sign  of  grief.  Thus  had  the  country  been  called 
within  a  few  weeks'  time  to  deplore  the  loss  of  Clay  and 
Webster;  an  almost  unparalleled  conjuncture  and  one  not 
likely  soon  to  be  repeated,  considering  the  present  sup- 
ply of  great  men.  These  two  were  a  great  conservative 
force,  removed  from  the  scene  of  action  just  when  politi- 
cal troubles  involving  the  Civil  War  were  nearing  the 
height.  Both  died  too  soon  for  their  highest  fame,  as 
has  recently  (1894)  been  remarked  of  Webster  by  Senator 
Hoar  in  a  passage  of  great  beauty  and  truth. 

The  same  month  witnessed  the  arrival  of  the  famous 
novelist  W.  M.  Thackeray,  under  engagement  with  the 
Mercantile  Library  Association  to  deliver  his  lectures  on 
the  "English  Humorists  of  the  Eighteenth  Century." 
There  was  some  doubt  touching  the  nature  of  his  recep- 
tion, since  our  public  was  still  sore  over  the  outcome 
of  the  Dickens  visit,  but  eventually  Thackeray  enjoyed 
respectful  and  attentive  hearing,  and  generous  social 
welcome.  He  began  his  lectures  on  November  19,  in  Dr. 
Chapin's  church,  before  a  crowded  audience.  The  lec- 
tures gave  rise  to  a  great  revival  of  eighteenth-century 
literature  among  us,  and  the  booksellers  drove  an  active 
trade  in  it.  Thackeray  remained  here  until  the  next 
April,  evidently  enjoying  his  visit,  and  forming  many 
close  and  affectionate  friendships. 

It  was  in  this  year  that  the  Rev.  Dr.  Jonathan  M. 
Wainwright  was  chosen  Provisional  Bishop  of  New  York, 
after  an  interregnum  of  eight  years  resulting  from  Bishop 
Onderdonk's  suspension.  Dr.  Wainwright  set  himself  so 
sharply  to  clear  up  the  large  arrears  of  Episcopal  duty 
that  his  health  broke  down  from  overwork  and  he  died 
in  September,  1854.  When  made  bishop,  Dr.  Wain- 
wright was  an  Assistant  Minister  of  Trinity  Parish,  in 
charge  of  St.  John's  Chapel,  and  it  is  notable  that  up  to 
this  time  every  Bishop  of  New  York  had  been  taken 
from  the  Trinity  clergy. 


484  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

Spofford  &  Tileston  now  organized  a  line  of  packet 
ships  to  Liverpool. 

The  Sixth  Avenue  Railroad  was  opened  in  this  or  the 
previous  year.  It  was  not  until  this  period  that  the  bank- 
ing up  of  the  snow,  on  the  sides  of  the  streets  through 
which  street  railways  were  operated,  impeded  and  re- 
stricted the  running  of  trucks  and  sleds;  and  as  the  rail- 
ways increased  in  number  and  extent,  the  use  of  sleds 
was  proportionately  decreased,  and  in  a  few  years  they 
were  wholly  laid  aside.  Previously — that  is,  before  the 
banking  up  of  snow  on  the  sides  of  the  principal  streets 
— the  uniform  surface  of  the  snow  admitted  of  sledding 
and  sleighing,  as  earlier  recited.  When  street  stages  had 
been  introduced,  they  were  laid  aside  when  the  use  of 
sleighs  was  practicable,  and  large  open  sleighs  drawn  by 
four  and  sometimes  six  horses  were  resorted  to,  and  many 
individuals  and  parties  enjoyed  these  for  the  ride  alone; 
and  of  a  pleasant  evening  Broadway  would  be  enlivened 
with  hilarious  singing,  instrumental  music,  horn-blowing, 
etc.  The  removal  of  snow  in  Broadway  was  not  resorted 
to  until  some  ten  years  after  the  date  of  this  chapter,  or 
about  1862. 

The  completion  of  the  New  York  and  Erie  Railroad  in 
the  preceding  year  and  the  manipulations  of  Daniel  Drew, 
who  became  one  of  its  directors,  were  followed  by  specu- 
lations upon  the  rise  and  fall  of  its  stock  to  so  great  an 
extent  that  many  of  the  operators  suffered,  among  whom 
was  Wm.  M.  Tweed,  who  in  the  previous  year  had  retired 
from  his  business  as  a  manufacturer  of  chairs  in  Pearl 
Street,  and  rented  an  office  in  Wall  Street.  He  was 
among  the  sufferers  to  an  extent  that  involved  his  capital; 
his  subsequent  association  with  Gould  and  Fisk  was  the 
result  of  an  expressed  determination  of  his  "  to  get 
square  with  Erie." 

Drew  was  decidedly  a  character,  indisputably  sui 
generis.     I    first    knew   him    as   a   keeper  of  the   "Bull's 


AMBROSE    C.    KINGSLAND,   MAYOR  485 

Head  "  Tavern  in  Third  Avenue,  corner  of  Twenty-sixth 
Street;  from  that  he  migrated  to  Wall  Street,  where 
his  speculations,  his  devout  and  earnest  homilies  at 
Methodist  meetings  and  conferences,  his  donations  to 
meeting-houses  and  a  theological  seminary,  his  connec- 
tion with  menageries,  the  Albany  line  of  steamboats, 
and  his  disregard  of  the  rules  of  Lindley  Murray,  etc., 
made  his  transactions  and  sayings  prolific  with  the  quid 
nuncs  and  on  dits  of  the  time. 

He  was  charged  with  the  unpardonable  crime  of 
sacrificing  his  friends,  if  he  was  to  be  benefited  thereby. 
An  illustrative  case  was  told  me  by  the  party  who  suf- 
fered. A  young  lawyer  in  a  case  in  which  Drew  was 
interested  succeeded,  after  a  tedious  litigation,  in  recover- 
ing the  sum  at  issue;  and  upon  receiving  the  amount  of 
his  services  and  expenses,  Drew  said  to  him,  "  Sonny, 
you  did  it;  I  like  to  see  young  men  go  ahead;  I  knew 
your  father.  Now,  as  you  have  got  some  money,  you  had 
better  go  into  the  market  and  buy  some  stock.  It  is  low 
now,  and  if  you  will  be  advised  by  an  old  friend  of  your 
father's,  buy  Erie.  It  is  safe,  very  safe.  Now,  sonny,  do 
as  I  say."  The  full  amount  the  lawyer  had  received  was 
invested  in  a  margin  on  Erie,  which  soon  fell  so  as  to 
absorb  the  entire  amount  of  it;  and  he  then  learned  that 
the  stock  he  had  bought  was  sold  by  Drew.  In  referring 
to  the  transaction,  my  friend's  words  are  not  restricted 
either  by  "Webster"  or  the  Decalogue. 

1853.  In  this  year  Beekman  Street  was  widened  from 
Nassau  to  Pearl.  The  Third  Avenue  Railroad  began 
operation.  The  Astor  Library  was  completed;  the  cost 
of  the  site  was  twenty-five  thousand  dollars.  In  January 
of  the  next  year  the  building  was  opened  to  public  inspec- 
tion, and  shortly  afterward  to  students. 

Henry  Grinnell,  who  in  1851  had  equipped  an  expedi- 
tion to  proceed  to  the  Northern  Ocean,  in  search  of  Sir 
John    Franklin,    was  associated    this   year    with    George 


486 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


"OLD  BREWERY,"  CROSS  (PARK),  BETWEEN  CENTRE   AND  BAXTER  STREETS 


Peabody  in  the  equipment  of  a  second  expedition  in  the 
Advance,  under  the  command  of  Dr.  Elisha  Kent  Kane  of 
the  Navy;  but  this,  like  all  others,  failed  of  its  assigned 
purpose. 

Two  notable  philanthropic  works  are  to  be  noted  in 
this  year.  The  Children's  Aid  Society  was  founded, 
chiefly  through  the  efforts  of  the  late  Charles  L.  Brace, 
its  secretary  and  chief  executive,  and  thus  began  its 
labor  of  incalculable  value.  The  Five  Points  Mission, 
having  bought  and  demolished  the  "Old  Brewery," 
laid  the  corner-stone  of  its  new  building  on  the  site  of 
the  brewery,  on  January  27. 

The  New  York  Society  Library  in  this  year  sold  its 
building  at  Broadway  and  Leonard  Street,  removing  for 
a  time  to  the  Bible  House,  and  during  its  occupancy 
there  purchased  ground  on  University  Place,  where  it 
erected  its  present  building,  into  which  it  removed  in  1856. 

January  first  appeared  Putnam's  Monthly,  under  the 
editorship  of  Charles  F.  Briggs  ("  Harry  Franco"),  with 
Mr.  Parke  Godwin  and  the  late  George  William  Curtis 
assisting  him. 


JACOB    A.    WESTERVELT,   MAYOR  487 

January  8,  Thomas  Hamblin,  the  Bowery  Theatre  mana- 
ger, died,  and  performances  at  it  were  suspended  for  a 
week. 

May  2,  Franconi's  Hippodrome  was  opened  where 
Corporal  Thompson's  Cottage  had  for  a  long  time  been 
sole  occupant  of  the  ground — the  site  of  the  Fifth  Avenue 
Hotel  of  this  day.  The  Hippodrome  was  of  brick,  two 
stories  high,  and  about  225  feet  in  diameter.  It  inclosed 
an  open  arena.  The  performances  were  excellent  and 
the  place  was  in  great  favor  during  its  existence  of  two 
years  or  thereabout,  after  which  it  gave  way  to  Mr.  Amos 
Eno's  new  hotel. 

At  this  time,  also,  in  the  near  neighborhood,  the  Madi- 
son Square  Presbyterian  Church  from  Broome  Street,  Rev. 
Wm.  Adams,  pastor  (now  the  Rev.  Dr.  Parkhurst's),  was 
begun;  it  was  ready  for  occupancy  in  December,  1854. 

In  consequence  of  the  corruption  existing  in  the  Munic- 
ipal Departments,  and  especially  in  the  Boards  of  Alder- 
men and  Assistants,  they  from  the  facility,  extent,  and 
conditions  with  which  they  granted  leases  of  city  rail- 
roads, ferries,  etc.,  despite  the  vetoes  of  the  Mayor,  were 
designated  the  "  Forty  Thieves";  the  boards  consisting 
each  of  twenty  members.  William  M.  Tweed  was  at  this 
time  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  and  Richard 
B.  Conolly  was  appearing  both  upon  the  political  and 
municipal  stages,  under  the  well-earned  and  exceptionally 
appropriate  sobriquet  of  "  Slippery  Dick." 

The  Legislature  was  called  upon  to  enact  a  new 
charter,  which  being  submitted  to  the  people  June  7,  was 
approved  by  an  exceptional  vote,  by  the  operation  of 
which  the  Board  of  Assistant  Aldermen  was  abolished, 
one  of  Councilmen  of  sixty  members  was  substituted, 
and  Aldermen  were  excluded  from  sitting  in  the  Courts 
of  Oyer  and  Terminer  and  the  Sessions. 

The  venality  of  some  members  of  the  Common  Council 
and  some  members  of  the  Departments  was  so  extensive 


488  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

and  so  manifest  that  the  tenure  of  the  office  of  member 
was  held  to  be  more  of  a  reproach  than  an  honor.  The 
fraternity  and  cohesiveness  of  common  plunder,  the  auri 
sacra  fames,  was  superior  to  all  consideration  of  political 
and  party  affiliations  and  discipline.  Republicans  and 
Democrats  joined  hands;  of  this  I  write  from  observa- 
tion, for  after  two  years  of  service  I,  in  1858,  presided 
over  one  of  the  Boards. 

This  was  also  the  year  of  beginning  the  work  of  St. 
Luke's  Hospital,  under  the  Rev.  Dr.  W.  A.  Muhlenberg; 
in  a  building  adjacent  to  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Com- 
munion, at  Sixth  Avenue  and  Twentieth  Street. 

July  4.  The  World's  Fair,  as  it  was  termed,  situated 
in  Reservoir  Square,  now  Bryant  Park,  was  a  natural 
result  of  the  Crystal  Palace  that  had  been  constructed  at 
Sydenham  near  London,  in  185 1.  It  was  formally  opened 
by  President  Pierce  and  a  distinguished  company,  but  the 
display  of  materials,  although  very  creditable  of  its  kind, 
was  too  inconsiderable  to  engage  the  attention  of  other 
than  our  own  citizens.  It  was  reopened  May  14,  1854,  as 
a  permanent  exhibition,  but  the  enterprise  proved  to  be 
a  signal  failure,  and  soon  after  its  close  and  while  its 
affairs  were  in  the  hands  of  a  receiver,  the  building  was 
wholly  burned  on  October  5,  1858;  by  which  Kiss's 
statue  of  the  Amazon  was  destroyed,  of  more  value  than 
the  building  and  all  that  then  remained  within  it. 

Though  the  Crystal  Palace  of  New  York  proved 
directly  abortive,  yet,  strange  as  it  may  now  seem,  it  did 
indirectly  prove  of  benefit  in  stimulating  the  northward 
growth  of  New  York  much  in  the  same  manner  as 
General  Grant's  funeral  and  burial-place  aided  in  these 
days  the  development  of  the  "  West  Side,"  by  bringing 
millions  of  people  to  observe  its  advantages.  Just  in 
this  fashion  the  Crystal  Palace  served  the  New  York  of 
forty  years  ago.  Great  crowds  of  visitors  were  attracted 
by  it  to  what  then  was  a  remote,  outward  part  of  the  city, 


JACOB    A.    WESTERVELT,    MAYOR  489 

and  not  only  observed  the  opportunities  for  building, 
etc.,  there  presented,  but  more  important  still,  became 
familiarized  with  the  notion  of  the  mere  possibility  and 
practicability  of  travelling  so  far  as  Forty-second  Street. 
In  this  way  the  World's  Fair  accelerated  the  uptown 
movement  and  added  to  the  value  of  all  land  lying 
upon  and  about  Murray  Hill. 

In  July,  Maretzek  gave  a  season  of  Italian  opera  at 
Castle  Garden  with  a  company  including  Mmes.  Sontag, 
Steffanone,  and  Patti-Strakosch,  Salvi,  etc.  The  per- 
formances continued  until  late  in  August. 

July  18,  a  day  memorable  in  the  history  of  the  National 
Theatre,  Aiken's  version  of  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  was 
brought  out — a  play  which,  from  little  Cordelia  Howard's 
Eva  and  Mrs.  G.  C.  Howard's  Topsy,  achieved  a  success 
which  could  be  called  strictly  unprecedented,  being 
given  for  more  than  two  hundred  successive  times.  All 
classes  of  the  community  thronged  to  witness  the  repre- 
sentations, and  afternoon  performances  were  demanded 
and  maintained  for  weeks.  It  is  somewhat  remarkable 
that  the  cast  at  the  National  for  this  play  included 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  Lingard  and  G.  Lingard;  C.  K.  and 
G.  L.  Fox;  and  Mr.  and  Mrs  G.  C.  Howard  and  Cor- 
delia Howard;  Mrs.  Howard,  moreover,  having  been 
Caroline  Fox. 

August   29,    Louis    Jullien    began    at    Castle   Garden 

his  famous  series  of  concerts,  with  an  orchestra  of  about 

a  hundred,  some  of  them  being  players  of  unusual  merit. 

A  more  refined  musical  civilization  may  dismiss  Jullien 

as  only  a  "  popular"  conductor,  and  truly  he  was  so;  but 

it  was  in  a  good  sense,  and  he  taught   our  public   many 

things  that  it  required  to  learn.      He  had   extraordinary 

command  of  his  band,  and  produced  results  until  his  day 

unknown  in  these  parts.     With  a  keen  eye  for  theatrical 

effects,   Jullien  was,   notwithstanding,  of   the   real  artist 

nature,  and  the  outcome  of  his  work  here  was  a  distinct 
16* 


490  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

improvement  of  musical  taste  and  knowledge  among  our 
people. 

September  22,  at  a  concert  in  Tripler  Hall,  Adelina 
Patti  again  sang  in  public,  being  then  a  child  of  about 
ten  years;  she  displayed  powers  that  confirmed  the  pre- 
vious anticipations  of  her  great  future  excellence.  For 
a  considerable  time  she  continued  to  appear  as  a  child- 
performer,  mostly  in  company  with  Paul  Julien,  a  clever 
boy  violinist. 

It  was  during  this  year  that  E.  A.  Sothern,  the  come- 
dian, made  his  first  appearance  in  Barnum's  "  Lecture 
Room,"  under  the  name  of  Stewart. 

October  11,  the  Xew  York  Clearing  House  began 
business. 

John  Littlefield,  at  Merchants'  Exchange,  who  in  1844 
was  first  known  as  a  "corn-doctor"  at  453  Broadway, 
was  the  first  who  presented  himself  to  the  public  as  a 
"chiropodist"  (1844);  prior  to  this  the  occupation  was 
unknown;  in  this  year  Richard  H.  Westervelt  was 
associated  with  him.  Manicures  and  Masseurs  not  only 
were  unknown,  but  did  not  appear  until  some  years  after 
this  date. 

At  this  period  and  later  a  well-known  and  notorious 
character  figured  in  Wall  and  Broad  streets  as  a  broker; 
he  was  a  dark  mulatto,  almost  of  the  "sambo  "  shade,  who 
essayed  to  pass  himself  off  as  a  AVest  Indian  by  shaving  his 
head  and  wearing  a  full  wig  of  jet  black  hair.  He  called 
himself  Hamilton,  and  was  universally  known  as  "  Nigger 
Hamilton."  In  consequence  of  the  brazen  manner  in 
which  he  assumed  the  association  of  and  the  privileges 
of  a  white  man,  aided  by  the  passive  submission  of  a 
majority  of  those  he  met,  he  rode  in  street  stages, 
ostentatiously  exhibited  himself  at  the  lunch  counter  at 
Delmonico's  in  Broad  Street,  and  addressed  or  referred 
to  some  acquaintances  in  a  familiar  manner.  It  was 
asserted  that,  before   his  appearance   here,  he    had   been 


JACOB    A.    WESTERVELT,   MAYOR 


491 


engaged  in  a  venture  to  pass  off  a  large  amount  of  counter- 
feit coin  in  one  of  the  West  India  islands,  and  that,  upon 
detection,  he  saved  his  life  by  escaping  in  a  boat. 

On  the  occasion  of  his  meeting  a  well-known  gentle- 
man of  this  city,  who  was  remarkable  for  the  moderate 
and  self-possessed  manner  in  which  he  spoke,  Hamilton, 
with  an  assumed  attitude  of  defiance,  stepped  in  front  of 
the  gentleman  and  said:  "I  hear  you  have  said  I  was 
a  nigger."  To  this  the  gentleman,  looking  Hamilton 
squarely  in  the  face,  and  with  his  quiet  manner,  replied: 
"Are  you  not?"     This  settled  the  matter;  the  manner 


PARK  THEATRE,    CHATHAM  STREET  (PARK   ROW) 


492  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

of  reply,  added  to  its  truth,  was  too  much  for  Hamilton. 
He  stepped  aside  and  proceeded  on  his  way.  I  was 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street  when  this  meeting 
occurred. 

In  August,  1843,  he,  with  two  others,  was  indicted  for 
an  alleged  attempt  to  defraud  the  Atlantic  Insurance  Co., 
by  shipping  a  quantity  of  type  metal  in  boxes,  designated 
as  specie,  with  the  ultimate  purpose  of  the  vessel  being 
scuttled. 

December  10,  occurred  the  destruction  by  fire  of  Har- 
per &  Brothers'  great  printing  and  publishing  house  in 
Franklin  Square.  An  ingenious  plumber  threw  a  match 
into  a  pan  of  camphene,  used  for  cleaning  ink-rollers. 
There  were  six  hundred  persons  in  the  building,  but 
no  life  was  lost.  The  fire  broke  out  about  1  p.  m., 
and  destroyed  thirty-three  steam  presses  and  thousands 
of  tons  of  books,  but  the  firm's  valuable  collection  of 
stereotype  plates  was  saved  uninjured.  On  the  26th  of 
the  same  month  a  bakery  in  Front  Street  and  several 
adjoining  stores  were  destroyed  by  fire,  which  involved 
four  ships  lying  near;  among  which  was  the  Great 
Republic,  an  enormous  vessel  of  much  celebrity.  One 
of  the  ships  was  loosed  from  her  moorings  in  order  to 
save  her,  but  a  west  wind  drove  her  across  to  Brook- 
lyn, where  she  burned. 

1854.  In  this  year  Bloomingdale  Square  was  opened; 
Canal  and  Walker  streets  were  extended;  Wall  from 
Broadway  to  Nassau,  and  Whitehall  from  Bowling  Green 
to  State  Street  were  widened. 

January  8,  the  Metropolitan  (Tripler)  Hall  and  the 
adjacent  Lafarge  House  were  destroyed  by  fire. 

All  through  the  fall  of  1853  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  was 
continued  at  Purdy's  National,  and  on  January  9,  of  this 
y<ar,  had  its  one  hundred  and  eightieth  representation. 
Then  it  began  to  decline  somewhat  in  attractive  power, 
and     other     plays     were    occasionally    given.       In     May 


JACOB    A.    WESTERVELT,    MAYOR  493 

occurred    Cordelia    Howard's    benefit,    when   she   played 
Eva   for   the  two  hundred  and  thirtieth  time. 

The  inmates  of  the  House  of  Refuge,  which  in  1839 
had  been  transferred  from  Madison  Square  to  the  foot 
of  Twenty-third  Street,  were  removed  from  the  latter 
place  to  Randall's  Island,  under  the  custody  of  the  State. 

The  Union  Club  removed  from  591  Broadway  to  its 
new  home  at  the  corner  of  Fifth  Avenue  and  Twenty- 
first  Street. 

February  4,  Whitehall  Street  was  ordered  to  be  widened. 

The  Morgan  Line  of  sailing  packets,  hence  to  London, 
was  organized  with  ships  of  eighteen  hundred  tons. 
This  was  the  year  of  the  clipper  ship  Dreadnought's 
famous  passage  under  Captain  Samuels,  from  Liverpool 
to  this  port;  beating  the  Cunarder  Canada  (to  Boston) 
with  a  day  to  spare. 

Cyrus  W.  Field,  Peter  Cooper,  Moses  Taylor,  Marshall 
O.  Roberts,  and  Chandler  White  associated  themselves 
and  organized  the  Atlantic  Cable  Company. 

The  period  was  now  reached  when  the  manifold  public 
charities  of  New  York  were  increasing  rapidly.  The 
Five  Points  House  of  Industry,  which  had  been  (1850)  an 
association  for  the  amelioration  of  the  condition  of  the 
children  of  that  and  the  adjacent  neighborhoods,  was 
incorporated  in  this  year  by  the  zealous  services  of 
Archibald  Russell.  Its  purpose  is  to  induct  children  to 
school,  to  clothe  and  feed  them,  to  afford  out-door  relief 
and  a  hospital. 

May  6,  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  which  was  projected  in 
1846,  incorporated  in  1850,  and  had  begun  work  in  1853, 
as  previously  noted  herein,  laid  the  corner-stone  of  the 
present  building  (1894)  on  Fifth  Avenue. 

In  April,  the  Mercantile  Library  removed  to  the  new 
Clinton  Hall,  the  transformed  Astor  Place  Opera  House. 

April  25,  in  the  course  of  a  fire  at  Jennings  &  Co.'s 
clothing  shop  at  231   Broadway,  the  main  rear  wall  fell 


494  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

upon  an  extension  on  which  firemen  were  at  work, 
covering  twenty  or  more,  half  of  whom  were  killed. 

May  27,  Duane  Street  was  ordered  to  be  widened.  This 
was  the  year  of  the  founding  of  the  Arion  Society  by 
secession  from  the  Deutsche  Liederkranz. 

June.  It  was  discovered  that  a  corporation  termed  the 
Parker  Vein  Coal  Co.,  which  had  been  organized  a  few 
years  previous  for  the  purpose  of  developing  the  mine, 
and  had  constructed  ten  propeller  steamers  for  the 
transportation  of  its  coal,  had  flooded  the  market  with 
an  issue  of  stock  much  in  excess  of  its  capital. 

This  year  was  so  prolific  in  the  discovery  of  over- 
issues of  stock  that  it  was  an  illustration  of  the  familiar 
adage  that  "  misfortunes  come  seldom  alone,"  for  soon 
after  the  preceding  case,  July  1,  the  city  was  astounded  in 
learning  that  Robert  Schuyler,  the  President  of  the  New 
York  and  Xew  Haven  Railroad,  had  issued  a  large  amount 
of  unauthorized  stock,  which  he  had  sold  at  the  par  value 
of  the  capital  stock.  Before  the  shock  of  this  discovery 
had  quieted,  it  was  discovered  that  Alexander  Kyle,  the 
secretary  of  the  Harlem  Railroad  Co.,  had  forged  and 
sold  stock  to  a  large  amount. 

September  4,  Hackett  opened  Castle  Garden  for  a 
season  of  Italian  Opera;  having  under  engagement  the 
famous  artists  Grisi  and  Mario.  His  original  prices 
of  five  dollars  and  three  dollars  were  soon  reduced  to 
three  dollars  for  all  parts  of  the  house.  On  these  terms 
large  audiences  attended.  The  weather  becoming  soon 
too  cold  for  comfort  in  this  place,  the  opera  was  moved 
October  2  to  the  new  Academy  of  Music,  which  had 
been  built  by  a  company  of  gentlemen  as  a  permanent 
home  for  this  style  of  amusement.  This,  it  will  be 
understood,  was  the  house  destroyed  by  fire  in  May, 
1866;  the  present  Academy,  renewed  on  the  same  site, 
was  opened  early  in  1868. 

In   September  was  opened   the   theatre  best  known  as 


JACOB    A.    WESTERVELT,    MAYOR  495 

the  Winter  Garden,  but  first  called  by  the  cumbrous  title 
of  the  Xew  York  Theatre  and  Metropolitan  Opera  House, 
built  upon  the  ruins  of  Metropolitan  Hall  and  the  La 
Farge  House. 

This  theatre  bore  many  titles  in  its  day.  Toward  the 
close  of  1855,  Laura  Keene  remodelled  it  and  named  it 
Laura  Keene's- Varieties.  In  the  autumn  of  1S56  Burton 
came  into  possession  and  called  it  Burton's  Xew  Theatre. 
Three  years  later  it  acquired  the  style  of  the  Winter 
Garden  or  Conservatory  of  the  Arts,  under  which  title  it 
was  the  scene  of  many  notable  performances.  I  remem- 
ber once  seeing  General  Winfield  Scott  in  a  theatre  at 
one  of  the  performances  of  "  Hamlet  "  by  Edwin  Booth; 
he  won  almost  more  attention  than  did  the  play.  Owing 
to  his  age  and  infirmity  he  chose  to  wait  for  easier  exit 
until  the  audience  should  have  dispersed,  but  the  people 
lingered,  and  when  the  veteran  appeared  at  the  rear  oi 
the  spacious  lobby  he  found  it  closely  packed  on  both 
sides  in  deep  ranks,  a  convenient  open  space  being  left 
for  him  in  the  middle.  Down  this  space  he  passed 
slowly,  bowing  to  right  and  left,  amid  silence  and  the 
respectful  regard  of  the  company.  The  general  at  this 
time  was  past  eighty,  but  his  noble  proportions  were 
scarce  harmed  by  age,  his  courtesy  was  becoming,  and 
the  behavior  of  the  casual  company  was  a  notable  in- 
stance of  public  good-breeding. 

September  30,  the  city  was  thrown  into  an  exceptional 
commotion  on  learning  that  the  Collins  Line  steamer 
■it.  Captain  Stephen  B.  Luce,  had  foundered  off 
•rge's  Bank,  in  consequence  of  a  collision  in  a  fog  with 
the  French  steamer  Vestat  and  that  out  of  four  hundred 
and  eight  passengers  and  crew  only  sixty-three  were 
saved.  The  wife,  daughter,  and  a  son  of  Mr.  Collins 
were  lost.      Captain  Luce  was  saved. 

The  first  officer,  Mr.  Gourlay,  had  been  sent  in  a  boat 
to   learn  if  the   Vesta  required  assistance  (Captain  Luce 


496  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

being  unaware  of  the  damage  to  his  vessel),  and  the 
chief  engineer,  with  some  of  his  officers  and  crew, 
stealthily  took  one  of  the  steamer's  boats  and  put  off. 
It  occurred,  however,  that  neither  the  boat  of  the  officer 
nor  that  of  the  engineer,  or  their  occupants,  were  ever 
seen  or  heard  of. 

October  27,  Park  Place  was  opened  through  the  grounds 
of  Columbia  College  to  College  Place. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Horatio  Potter  was  consecrated  bishop 
in  November,  and  began  his  administration  of  the  diocese 
of  New  York. 

All  men  of  my  age,  and  approximating  thereto,  may 
refer 'to  many  of  the  customs,  occurrences,  and  conven- 
iences of  the  past  years  as  being  more  rational,  creditable, 
and  comfortable  than  many  of  the  present  time.  Thus: 
I  refer  to  the  Park  Theatre  (Old  Drury)  with  pride  in  the 
talent  and  humor  there  displayed  and  the  pleasures  we 
have  enjoyed — Htzc  meminisse  me  jurat — in  the  instruc- 
tive, rational,  and  proper  performances  there:  notably, 
those  of  the  Keans,  Cooper,  the  elder  Booth,  and  Wal- 
lack;  the  Kembles,  Placide,  Caldwell,  Power,  Matthews, 
Barnes,  Ritchings,  Miss  Kelly,  the  Woods,  Mrs.  Vernon, 
Charlotte  Cushman,  Ellen  Tree,  Clara  Fisher,  and  where 
a  legitimate  drama  was  held  to  be  superior  to  the  exhi- 
bition of  "  supplemented"  figures  and  "tights";  justly 
priding  ourselves  that  the  senseless,  absurd,  inconsistent, 
tinselled,  vulgar,  and  immodest  spectacles  that  are  now 
presented  to  us,  would  not  then  have  been  tolerated. 

In  referring  to  the  pleasure  I  have  enjoyed  at  this 
theatre,  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  it  is  easier  for  one  to 
express  himself  fully,  if  not  eloquently,  upon  his  griefs 
than  to  do  justice  to  a  recital  of  his  pleasures. 


CHAPTER   XXV 
1855,1856,1857. — FERNANDO     WOOD,     1855-1857,    MAYOR 

1855.  At  this  date  the  City  of  Philadelphia  had  intro- 
duced into  its  Fire  Department  several  steam  fire-engines, 
which  were  readily  and  successfully  operated.  I  was  at 
this  time  a  member  of  our  common  council,  and  having 
witnessed,  on  invitation,  the  operation  of  one  of  the 
engines  in  Philadelphia,  on  my  return  I  essayed  to  have 
a  committee  appointed  to  visit  that  city,  examine  the 
working  of  their  engines,  and  report  to  the  Board. 
There  were  at  this  time  two  firemen  in  the  Board,  and 
my  resolution  was  not  only  opposed,  but  was  received 
with  derision.  It  was  not  allowed  to  entertain  any 
measure,  or  to  act  in  any  manner  opposed  to  the  views 
or  convenience  of  "our  noble  firemen,"  or  to  arrest 
their  amusement  in  competitive  racing  and  working  their 
engines,  with  an  occasional  display  of  the  fraternal 
regard  that  existed  between  rival  companies  (in  some 
well-known  instances  even  to  the  degree  of  arresting  an 
engine  while  a  fire  was  raging),  which  was  so  manifestly 
apparent  in  the  interchange  of  epithets  in  no  wise  con- 
spicuous for  delicacy  or  refinement  of  sentiment,  and  in 
the  projection  of  brickbats,  stones,  and  any  convenient 
missiles.  To  destroy  such  a  source  of  amusement  of  our 
firemen,  by  the  introduction  of  steam  fire-engines,  was 
not  to  be  thought  of.  In  a  brief  period  after  this  the 
resort  to  steam  became  a  necessity,  and  it  was  gradually 
introduced. 

The  city  of  Cincinnati  employed  steam  fire-engines  at 
this   time,  and   one  of  them   (built  by  A.  B.  Latta)  was 


49^  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

exhibited  here  in  the  City  Hall  Park  in  February.  An 
exempt  company,  using  our  hand-engine  No.  42,  com- 
peted with  the  steamer,  and  in  each  of  three  successive 
trials  exceeded  it  slightly  in  the  distance  to  which  a 
stream  was  thrown.  But,  after  the  trials,  the  men  of 
the  hand-engine  were  exhausted,  while  the  steamer  was 
fresh.  It  was  not  long  after  this  that  the  general  resort 
to' steam  was  compelled. 

Castle  Garden  was  in  this  year  appropriated  and  used 
as  an  immigrant  depot,  where  all  immigrants  were 
received,  sheltered,  and  informed  as  to  the  manner  of 
reaching  their  destinations,  and  whence  they  were  trans- 
ported to  the  different  railroad  stations  from  which  they 
•were  to  proceed  on  their  journeys. 

February  24,  "  Bill  "  Poole,  Lewis  Baker,  and  others  of 
that  class  met  late  at  night  in  the  bar-room  of  Stanwix 
Hall  in  Broadway,  opposite  to  the  Metropolitan  Hotel. 
"Paudeen"  McLaughlin,  a  notorious  character,  chal- 
lenged Poole  to  fight,  who  did  not  notice  him,  whereupon 
one  of  the  party,  James  Turner,  drew  a  revolver  and, 
resting  it  on  his  fore-arm,  shot  at  Poole,  but  wounded 
himself,  but  with  a  second  discharge  his  ball  hit  Poole  in 
the  leg.  Baker  then,  without  drawing  his  revolver,  dis- 
charged it,  while  in  his  coat-pocket,  directed  at  Poole, 
the  ball  entering  his  heart;  notwithstanding  this,  he,  to 
the  wonder  and  amazement  of  the  surgical  fraternity, 
retained  life  for  fourteen  days.  Poole  was  one  of  the 
intense  Americans.  He  came  to  a  not  wholly  inappro- 
priate end.  Many  will  remember  the  lithographs  that 
were  widely  displayed  in  his  memory,  presenting  a  hand- 
some man's  portrait  draped  with  national  flags,  and 
having  underneath  Poole's  "last  words":  "I  die  a 
true  American,"  by  which  the  notion  of  his  eminent 
patriotism  was   no  doubt  widely  perpetuated.     We  have 

heard  that  his  true  last  words  were:   "By ,  boys,  I'm 

a  goner ! " 


FERNANDO    WOOD,    MAYOR  499 

Baker  escaped  in  a  brig  bound  for  the  Canary  Islands. 
At  this  time  George  Law  was  considered  to  be  the  lead- 
ing candidate  of  the  Native  American  party  for  President, 
and  in  support  of  that  position  he  individually  chartered 
the  clipper  bark  Grapeshot  to  follow  Baker  and  arrest 
him  on  the  high  seas  before  he  reached  a  foreign  port. 
Upon  the  evidence  of  such  purpose  on  the  part  of  Law 
and  his  friends,  Mayor  Wood  requested  me  to  proceed 
to  Washington  and  essay  to  have  Baker  brought  back  by 
a  national  vessel.  I  proceeded  there  and  laid  the  matter 
before  Wm.  L.  Marcy,  the  Secretary  of  State,  who  intro- 
duced me  to  the  President  (Franklin  Pierce),  and  upon 
my  statement  of  the  case,  Mr.  Marcy  sent  for  the  Portu- 
guese Minister,  and  asked  if  his  Government  would 
allow  Baker  to  be  extradited.  He  promptly  replied  that 
it  would  not.  The  Grapeshot  arrived  at  the  Islands  before 
the  vessel  with  Baker,  from  which  on  her  arrival  he  was 
taken  out,  brought  back  and  tried  for  murder  three  times, 
the  jury  in  each  case  failing  to  agree,  and  he  was  eventu- 
ally discharged  from  custody. 

Trinity  Chapel,  begun  by  Trinity  Parish  in  185 1,  was 
on  April  17,  this  year,  consecrated  before  it  was  quite 
completed.     It  was  entirely  finished  in  1856. 

The  first  regatta  of  the  New  York  Yacht  Club,  when 
on  its  annual  cruise,  was  held  this  year  off  Glen  Cove, 
over  the  course  around  the  stepping-stones;  the  prize 
was  won  by  the  Julia. 

William  M.  Thackeray  revisited  this  country  toward 
the  close  of  the  year,  repeating  the  public  success  which 
he  had  achieved  on  his  earlier  visit  in  1852,  and  renewing 
the  private  friendships  which  were  so  agreeable  to  those 
who  welcomed  him  here.  He  gave  again  his  earlier 
course  of  lectures  on  the  "English  Humorists  of  the 
Eighteenth  Century,"  and  added  the  course  on  the 
"  Four  Georges." 

September  3,  the  great  Rachel   was    first   seen    by  an 


500  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

American  audience  at  the  New  York  Theatre,  etc.,  better 
remembered  by  our  public  as  the  Winter  Garden;  remain- 
ing there  until  October  20,  during  which  time  she 
played  a  dozen  parts.  She  caught  a  cold  in  this  house 
which  ultimately  caused  her  death.  After  visiting 
Boston  she  was  seen  at  Xiblo's  for  a  brief  period,  mak- 
ing her  final  appearance  in  New  York  on  November  17, 
and  her  last  appearance  on  any  stage  at  Charleston,  a 
month  later.  She  sought  relief  from  her  pulmonary 
disorder  through  a  winter  spent  in  Havana,  and  returned 
in  the  spring  to  France,  where  she  died  in  January,  1858. 
This  is  not  the  place  for  an  estimate  of  Mme.  Rachel's 
powers,  but  the  memory  of  them  is  still  fresh  with  those 
who  saw  her  forty  years  ago,  though  she  was  worn  and 
ill  during  the  whole  of  her  American  tour. 

Speculation  in  this  and  the  following  year  ran  riot. 
Cotton  lands,  town  lots,  guano,  gold-mines,  etc.,  were 
put  upon  the  market;  the  originators  in  many  cases 
"watering"  the  stock,  and  in  others  selling  out  and 
leaving  the  outside  public  to  develop  the  schemes.  In 
addition  to  the  field  of  ordinary  stock  operations,  a  posi- 
tive craze,  so  to  term  it,  was  developed  in  the  desire  to 
procure  foreign  or  fancy  poultry,  and  poultry  brokers 
appeared  upon  the  scene — Chittagongs,  Shanghaes, 
Cochin  Chinas,  Dorkings,  and  Creoles  were  bought  and 
sold  at  enormous  prices,  ranging  from  fifty  dollars  to 
over  one  hundred  dollars  per  pair. 

Delmonico's  restaurant  at  Broadway  and  Chambers 
Street  was  first  opened  in  this  year.  Chambers  Street 
was  opened  from  Chatham  Street  to  James'  Slip. 

The  Academy  of  Music  was  now  managed  by  Mr. 
W.  H.  Payne,  a  well-known  resident  of  the  city,  with 
Maretzek  as  conductor,  and  Mme.  Lagrange,  Brignoli, 
Amodio,  etc.,  in  the  company.  Performances  began 
October  1.  The  business  was  bad,  and  the  season 
came  to  an  end  early  in  January. 


FERNANDO    WOOD,   MAYOR  5OI 

Eighth  Avenue  Railroad  opened  and  commenced 
operation,  from  Fifty-ninth  Street  to  Yesey  Street  and 
Broadway. 

1856.  January  23d,  the  Collins  steamer  Pacific,  Captain 
Eldridge,  left  Liverpool  with  45  passengers  and  a  crew  of 
141  men;  she  was  never  seen  or  heard  of  after.  Her  day 
of  leaving  was  three  days  before  that  of  the  Persia,  a  new 
vessel  of  the  Cunard  Line.  The  opposition  between  the 
two  lines  was  then  at  its  extreme  of  banters  and  bets. 
Captain  Eldridge  is  reported  to  have  made  an  ill-timed,  if 
not  profane,  declaration  regarding  his  course  with  the 
Persia,  which  arrived  in  due  season,  reporting  not  to  have 
seen  the  Pacific,  but  to  have  encountered  much  field  ice. 
The  occasion  of  the  Pacific  s  loss  was  evident;  she  had  run 
into  a  field  of  ice,  and  as  she  was  planked  with  yellow 
pine,  without  a  collision  bulkhead,  she  must  have  sunk 
with  great  rapidity,  as  not  even  a  vestige  of  her  was 
ever  seen. 

The  New  Bowery  was  opened  from  the  south  side  of 
Chatham  Street  to  Franklin  Square,  and  Cliff,  between 
Beekman  and  Ferry  streets,  was  widened.  The  North 
German  Lloyd's  line  of  steamers  between  New  York  and 
Bremen  was  established. 

April  23,  occurred  the  benefit  and  last  appearance 
upon  the  stage  of  "  Old  Joe  Cowell,"  in  his  pet  part  of 
Crack,  in  which  he  had  begun  at  the  Park  Theatre  in 
182 1.     He  was  well  known  everywhere. 

May  25,  the  last  services  were  held  in  the  old  "  Brick 
Church,"  which  yielded  its  site  to  the  Times  building,  the 
purchase  having  been  made,  despite  the  assertion  that  a 
condition  of  the  gift  to  the  church  of  the  site,  was  that  it 
should  ever  be  occupied  for  a  church. 

A  great  public  ceremony  occurred  on  July  4,  at  the 
dedication  of  Henry  K.  Brown's  bronze  equestrian  statue 
of  Washington,  erected  in  Union  Square,  almost  on  the 
very  spot  where  the  citizens  received  the  Commander-in- 


502  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

Chief  when  he  was  entering  New  York  on  Evacuation 
Day,  November  25,  1783.  The  First  Division  paraded 
on  occasion  of  the  dedication,  and  an  oration  was 
delivered  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  George  W.  Bethune. 

August  30,  was  burned  the  Latting  Observatory,  a 
tall  tower  that  had  been  built  near  the  Crystal  Palace 
(almost  on  the  present  site  of  the  Century  Club)  as  an 
attraction  to  visitors  at  the  World's  Fair.  The  spectacle 
of  the  fire  was  very  imposing,  with  its  two  hundred  and 
eighty  feet  of  ftame  upright  in  the  air. 

September  4,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Wood  first  appeared 
in  this  city  at  Niblo's  and  later  Mrs.  Wood  at  Wallack's. 

At  Niblo's  Pauline  Genet,  of  the  Ravel  company,  met 
with  a  fatal  accident  by  her  clothing  catching  fire  from 
a  gas-jet  in  the  theatre,  inflicting  horrible  injuries. 

Perhaps  this  was  the  first  season  of  German  opera  in 
German.  The  prima  donna  was  Mme.  Johanssen,  the 
conductor,  Carl  Bergmann,  with  Theodore  Thomas  for 
concert-meister  or  leader. 

September  8,  Burton's  New  Theatre,  late  Laura 
Keene's  Varieties  (in  Broadway,  opposite  Bond  Street), 
was  opened  with  a  good  company. 

The  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen, 
now  18  East  Sixteenth  Street,  which  was  organized  in 
1785  and  incorporated  in  1792,  founded  the  Mechanics' 
School  and  Apprentices'  Library  in  1820;  inaugurated  a 
course  of  instructive  lectures  in  1833,  and  in  this  year 
added  a  Reading  Room  to  its  Library.  Later  (1889)  it 
instituted  free  scholarships. 

The  New  York  Institution  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb, 
organized  and  incorporated  in  1817,  in  1818  occupied  a 
room  in  the  Almshouse  in  Chambers  Street,  then  at  41 
Warren  Street.  1819,  Legislature  granted  it  a  moiety  of 
the  tax  on  lotteries;  1829,  on  Fiftieth  Street  between 
Fourth  and  Fifth  avenues,  site  consisting  of  one  acre 
donated    by   the    city,  and    now    occupied    by    Columbia 


FERNANDO    WOOD,    MAYOR  503 

College;  1853,  sold  and  purchased  land  on  Washington 
Heights  (Boulevard)  between  One  hundred  and  sixty- 
second  and  One  hundred  and  sixty-fifth  streets,  Decem- 
ber 4;  and  in  this  year  erected  a  new  building. 

1857.  This  was  a  winter  of  severe  and  long-continued 
cold  with  heavy  snows,  communication  between  different 
parts  of  the  country  being  greatly  deranged.  In  the 
southern  portion  of  New  York  the  mercury  fell  to  28° 
below  zero. 

January  3,  Dr.  Harvey  Burdell,  a  dentist  residing  at 
31  Bond  Street,  was  discovered  in  the  morning  to  have 
been  murdered;  not  only  were  the  walls  of  his  apartment 
smeared  and  sprinkled  with  blood,  but  the  hall,  rails,  and 
stairway  leading  to  the  room  were  spotted  with  it,  and, 
upon  examining  the  body,  no  less  than  fifteen  wounds  in 
it,  from  a  poniard  or  like  instrument,  were  discovered. 

A  Mrs.  Cunningham,  a  widow,  leased  the  house  from 
the  doctor  and  resided  there  with  her  two  daughters. 
Upon  examination  of  her  before  a  Coroner's  jury,  she 
claimed  to  have  been  married  to  the  doctor  a  few  months 
previous;  she  was  imprisoned,  indicted,  tried,  and 
acquitted.  The  mystery  of  the  murder  never  was 
cleared  up. 

The  case  excited  a  general  and  widespread  interest  in 
both  the  city  and  country.  If  Mrs.  Cunningham  could 
prove  marriage  with  the  doctor  she  would  be  entitled  to 
a  wife's  share  of  his  estate,  and  if  she  bore  a  child  to 
him  she  would  obtain  the  entire  control  and  enjoyment 
of  its  revenue.  To  attain  this  desirable  end,  it  was 
indispensable  that  a  child  should  be  procured,  and  the 
woman  forthwith  commenced  to  exhibit  the  appearance 
consonant  with  her  purpose,  and  at  the  assigned  time  a 
new-born  infant  was  received  from  Bellevue  Hospital, 
which  she  had  obtained  through  the  aid  of  an  attendant 
physician.  But  he,  while  consenting  to  aid  her  in  her 
scheme,  disclosed    the    plan    to    the    District   Attorney, 


504  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

A.  Oakey  Hall,  who,  when  her  claim  in  behalf  of  the  child 
was  presented,  exposed  the  fraud,  and  she  and  her 
daughters  left  the  city. 

I  was  present  at  the  examination  of  one  of  the  daugh- 
ters before  the  Coroner,  and  I  conceived  a  very  decided 
opinion  of  the  case,  which,  so  far  as  the  Coroner  was  con- 
cerned, was  universally  held  to  have  been  so  very  ill 
conducted  that  a  presentation  was  made  to  the  Governor, 
asking  for  the  removal  of  such  an  incompetent  official. 

January  21,  Maurice  Strakosch  undertook  manage- 
ment at  the  Academy  of  Music,  opening  with  Teresa 
Parodi  in  "  Lucrezia. "  A  week  later  Mme.  Cora  de 
Wilhorst,  daughter  of  one  of  our  most  worthy  and 
respected  citizens, — she  had  married  abroad  and  after 
her  return  home  separated  from  her  husband, — made  a 
very  successful  debut  as  Lucia,  and  increased  her  reputa- 
tion in  other  parts  which  she  played  during  the  short 
season. 

April  15,  Battery  Place  and  Broadway  from  Fifty- 
seventh  to  Sixtieth  Street  were  ordered  to  be  widened. 
Amendments  to  the  new  charter  were  enacted  by  the 
Legislature,  by  which  many  important  changes  were 
made;  notably,  transferring  the  Police  Department  from 
the  city  to  the  State,  which  act  was  held  by  many  of 
both  political  parties  to  be  offensively  opposed  to  home 
rule;  the  removal  of  the  Mayor  and  Recorder  from 
the  Board  of  Supervisors,  and  the  ceding  to  the  State 
the  appointment  of  a  Board  of  Excise  and  a  commission 
to  direct  and  superintend  the  opening  and  construction 
of  the  Central  Park.  In  addition  to  which,  the  charter 
or  municipal  election  was  changed  to  the  first  Tuesday 
in  December;  the  boards  of  aldermen  and  councilmen  to 
be  reduced  to  seventeen  for  the  former,  and  twenty-four 
for  the  latter,  six  of  which  were  to  be  elected  from  each 
of  the  four  senatorial  districts.  In  i860  it  was  essayed 
to  change  this  charter,  but  the  attempt  failed. 


FERNANDO    WOOD,    MAYOR  505 

The  Fenian  Brotherhood,  a  political  association, 
designed  to  effect  a  separation  of  Ireland  from  British 
rule,  was  organized  in  this  city,  which  was  selected  as 
the  basis  of  operation  here,  in  Canada,  and  Ireland. 
Later  (1866)  they  attempted  an  invasion  of  Canada  and 
signally  failed. 

This  was  a  year  of  great  financial  distress;  as  a  con- 
sequence, many  operatives  were  without  work,  and  in  the 
severe  weather  the  improvident  suffered.  The  Common 
Council  was  compelled  to  distribute  food  to  the  poor  to 
prevent  rioting;  many  laborers  were  put  to  work  in  grad- 
ing the  Central  Park  and  in  pulling  down  and  removing 
the  material  of  the  Institution,  formerly  the  Almshouse, 
etc.,  on  Chambers  Street,  now  the  site  of  the  new  Court 
House.  Nevertheless,  there  was  much  distress.  Bakers' 
wagons  in  some  instances  were  attacked  in  the  streets, 
and  some  other  acts  of  violence  were  committed.  The 
Arsenal  in  Centre  Street  was  guarded  by  the  police;  the 
Custom  House  and  Assay  Office  by  United  States  Infantry. 

May  21,  Ascension  Day,  the  chapel  of  St.  Luke's 
Hospital    was    first    opened. 

The  Police  Department  from  1853  was  governed  and 
directed  by  the  Mayor,  Recorder,  and  City  Judge,  and 
the  appointment  of  its  officers  and  patrolmen  was  held 
to  be  in  the  interest  of  the  city.  When  Fernando  Wood 
(Democrat)  became  Mayor,  he  used  the  prerogative  of 
appointments  for  his  personal  and  political  advancement, 
which  action  caused  such  general  dissatisfaction  that  the 
State  Legislature  in  this  year  enacted  an  amended  charter 
for  New  York,  providing  separate  dates  for  State  and 
municipal  elections,  and  distributing  responsibility  in 
local  affairs  through  separate  governments  for  city  and 
county.  By  this  charter  also  was  constituted  a  Metro- 
politan Police  District,  including  the  counties  of  New 
York,  Kings,  Westchester,  and  Richmond,  which  were 
placed  under  a  new    Board  of  Commissioners,  appointed 


506  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

by  the  State.  This  action  being  at  variance  with  the 
political  interests  of  Fernando  Wood,  the  Mayor,  he 
proceeded  to  declare  the  unconstitutionality  of  the  act, 
and  declined  to  disband  the  existing  municipal  police  or 
to  surrender  the  police  property  then  in  possession  of 
the  city;  but  in  May  the  Supreme  Court  decided  the  act 
to  be  in  accordance  with  the  Constitution.  Under  the 
advice  of  Wood,  however,  a  great  number  of  captains  of 
precincts  and  patrolmen  refused  to  submit  to  the  de- 
cision; whereupon  the  new  Board  (the  Metropolitan,  it 
was  termed)  dismissed  the  captains  and  the  patrolmen, 
alleged  to  exceed  seven  hundred  in  number;  but  they 
disregarded  the  action  and  remained  on  duty,  Wood  fill- 
ing the  vacancies  caused  by  those  who  submitted  to  the 
new  Board,  and  it  in  like  manner  filling  the  vacancies  of 
those  who  remained  with  the  old  Board,  or  rather  with 
Wood,  for  the  Recorder,  James  M.  Smith,  differed  with 
him  and  opposed  his  action. 

Thus  there  were  two  details  of  police. 

Superintendent  George  W.  Matsell,  having  refused  to 
obey  the  orders  of  the  Metropolitan  Department,  was 
dismissed  by  it. 

In  order  then  to  arrest  such  a  condition  of  the  matter, 
a  warrant  was  issued  by  Smith  to  Matsell  to  arrest 
Wood,  who  did  not  recognize  it  and  resisted.  Smith 
then  directed  the  Sheriff  to  serve  it,  which  Wood  also 
resisted. 

The  office  of  Street  Commissioner  becoming  vacant, 
the  Governor  of  the  State,  John  A.  King,  appointed  D.  D. 
Conover  to  fill  it;  but  he,  with  the  new  police  who 
endeavored  to  support  him  in  obtaining  possession  of 
the  ofiice  and  its  records,  was  driven  from  the  City 
Hall  by  the  old  police  under  Wood,  who  claimed  the 
appointing  power.  Warrants  for  Wood's  arrest  were 
asked  for  and  issued  by  the  courts,  and  Conover  returned 
to  enforce  them    by    the   aid  of    the    new    Metropolitan 


=^f    JV 


FERNANDO  WOOD,  MAYOR  509 

Police.  This  action  being  resisted  by  Wood  and  his 
police,  an  affray  occurred  in  which  many  persons  were 
injured. 

I  was  present  when  Matsell  rushed  into  the  Mayor's 
office  and  exultingly  announced  that  his  men  had  defeated 
the  enemy. 

The  Sheriff  then  essayed  to  serve  his  warrant  for  the 
arrest  of  Wood,  who  seized  his  mace  and  declared  that 
he  would  not  submit  to  arrest. 

Singularly  and  fortuitously,  the  Seventh  Regiment,  at 
this  time  en  route  to  Boston  to  participate  in  the  cere- 
monies to  be  held  in  commemoration  of  the  completion 
of  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument,  was  marching  down 
Broadway,  and  being  summoned  to  interfere,  turned  into 
the  Park.  The  Mayor,  entertaining  the  opinion  that  it 
was  sent  there  to  enforce  the  law  of  the  State,  submitted 
for  the  time;  which  action  admits  of  the  application  of 
Coelo  tonantem  credidimus  Jovcm  regnare,  which  in  this 
case  might  be  freely  rendered,  When  he  heard  the  band, 
he  recognized  the  presence  of  the  military. 

When  one  considers  Wood's  deficiencies  of  early  life 
and  even  early  manhood,  he  was  a  marvel;  and  had  he 
merited  the  confidence  of  the  people,  there  is  no  position 
in  this  country  he  might  not  have  attained.  He  had  an 
agreeable  presence,  and  as  he  advanced  in  years  and  in 
political  position,  he  assumed  a  dignity  and  reserve  of 
manner  that  became  him.  How  he  ever  became  enabled 
to  address  an  audience  with  the  self-possession,  argu- 
ment, and  eloquence  that  he  exhibited  here  and  in  Con- 
gress, elicited  the  wonder  of  all  who  knew  him  and  his 
antecedents.  In  political  advancement,  in  addition  to  his 
want  of  personal  magnetism,  he  handicapped  himself  by 
committing  the  grievous  error  of  sacrificing  an  old  friend 
or  partisan  for  a  new  one,  entertaining  the  idea  that  the 
one  was  in  possession  and  the  other  a  gain;  in  fact,  in  all 
his  political  relations  with  his  supporters,  he  fully  illus- 


510  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

trated  a  saying  of  James  I.,  Qui  nescit  dissimulare,  nescit 
regnare.  But  unfortunately  for  his  national  advance- 
ment he  was  not  only  charged  with  two  financial  deficien- 
cies of  exceptional  character,  but,  Cassio-like,  "much 
condemned  to  have  an  itching  palm,  to  sell  and  mart  his 
offices  for  gold  to  undeservers,"  and  like  to  Richard  III., 
he  could  have  said,  "Why  let  them  say,  they  can  but  say 
I  had  the  crown,  and  was  not  fool.    .    ." 

Very  soon  after  the  organization  of  this  newly  created 
or  Metropolitan  police  referred  to,  the  levies  and  tributes 
put  upon  and  demanded  of  violators  of  the  laws  and 
ordinances,  as  developed  by  later  exposures,  were  in  full 
force,  and  so  thoroughly  organized  was  the  system  of  the 
recovery  of  stolen  property,  when  it  was  practicable  to 
operate  it  with  impunity,  that  offenders  escaped  unless 
the  tax  was  too  large  for  the  business,  and  as  a  result 
they  had  either  to  submit  to  ruin  or  be  arrested.  In 
illustration  of  the  connection  between  the  police  and  the 
thieves,  an  intimate  acquaintance  of  mine,  returning 
late  one  night  from  a  convivial  party,  where  he  had  been 
constrained  to  follow  the  dicta  of  a  "  Court  of  Dover," 
became  wholly  oblivious  of  what  occurred  after  his 
leaving  the  house  of  entertainment,  until  he  awoke  in  a 
cell  of  a  police  station,  minus  his  watch,  money,  breast 
pin,  and  sleeve  buttons;  in  fact,  he  had,  in  the  parlance 
of  the  police,  "been  gone  through."  Desiring  to 
recover  his  watch,  he  was  advised  to  signify  his  wish  to 
an  officer  in  authority,  when  he  was  told,  if  he  would 
come  in  the  afternoon,  he  would  receive  the  watch.  He 
did  so,  received  it,  and  paid  seventy-five  dollars. 

The  trouble,  however,  was  not  entirely  ended.  A  riot- 
ous rising  occurred  in  the  Five  Points  on  July  3,  and 
something  like  a  panic  was  caused  in  the  city;  but  the 
Seventh  was  recalled  from  Boston,  and  with  the  aid  of 
other  regiments  of  the  Guard  put  down  the  riot,  in 
which    six    persons    were    killed    and    one    hundred    were 


FERNANDO    WOOD,    MAYOR  5  I  1 

wounded.  Another  rising  shortly  afterward  at  Anthony 
and  Centre  streets,  and  a  later  one  (on  July  13  and  14) 
in  the  Seventeenth  Ward,  were  disposed  of  in  like 
manner. 

Eventually  the  members  of  the  Metropolitan  Police 
who  were  injured  sued  Wood  and  obtained  a  verdict  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  for  each,  which  Wood  was 
compelled  to  pay.  The  Legislature  finally  by  act  reim- 
bursed him. 

During  this  conflict  of  the  police  the  detection  and 
repression  of  crimes  were  measurably  neglected,  and  the 
question  of  quis  custodiet  ipsos  custodes  might  have  been 
very  properly  submitted. 

Frank  Leslie,  soi-disant,  that  being  an  assumed  name, 
publisher  of  the  Illustrated  News,  caused  an  examination 
to  be  made  of  the  cow  stables  of  the  Johnsons  on 
Ninth  Avenue,  between  Sixteenth  and  Seventeenth 
streets,  and,  as  a  result,  he  published  with  illustrations 
an  account  of  the  manner  in  which  cows  were  stabled 
the  year  round,  fed  wholly  on  warm  swill  from  the 
distillery;  reciting  that  the  operation  of  milking  was 
conducted  in  a  manner  quite  regardless  of  the  require- 
ments of  purity  and  cleanliness,  and  that  for  want 
of  exercise,  and  enervation  from  the  warm  food,  the 
cows  became  diseased;  that  in  many  instances  their  tails 
sloughed  off,  etc.  The  community  was  shocked  at  the 
exposure,  and  its  credulity  put  to  a  crucial  test,  when 
he  exposed  the  manner  in  which  some  hundred  cows 
were  stalled  in  sheds  and  fed  with  slops  or  swill  from 
an  adjoining  distillery.  I,  in  company  with  some  of 
my  colleagues,  made  an  official  visit  to  the  stables,  and 
could   verify  the   statements. 

Leslie  was  summoned  before  a  committee  of  the 
Common  Council,  and  in  consequence  of  one  of  its  mem- 
bers evidencing  and  acting  upon  his  eager  desire  to 
shield  the  parties  inculpated  in  the  cruelty  to  the  animals 


512  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

and  offence  to  the  public,  the  investigation  partook 
somewhat  more  of  a  trial  of  Leslie  than  of  the  perpetra- 
tors of  the  offences  charged,  and  from  the  circumstance 
that,  upon  his  arrival  in  the  country,  he  had  dropped  his 
natal  name  and  assumed  that  of  Leslie,  he  was  subjected 
to  an  ungenerous  examination,  with  the  evident  purpose 
of  negativing  his  charges  by  the  application  of  the  legal 
term  falsus  in  uno,  falsus  i?i  omtiibus,  which  was  used 
to  distract  the  committee  from  the  purpose  of  its 
appointment,  but  partisanship  so  evidently  venal  in  its 
character  did  not  avail,  and  the  charges  that  had  been 
made  were  fully  established. 

So  general  was  the  knowledge  of  the  outrage  in  the 
cruelty  to  the  animals  and  the  imposition  of  an  unsani- 
tary article  of  food  upon  the  public,  that  "swill  or  stump 
tailed  milk "  was  for  a  long  period  a  general  term  in 
expression  of  insufficiency  or  deception. 

This  was  an  exciting  summer.  In  August  the  Ohio 
Life  and  Trust  Co.  failed,  owing  seven  million  dollars,  an 
act  which  ushered  in  a  period  of  sudden,  far-reaching 
disaster.  The  Massachusetts  and  the  Philadelphia  banks 
suspended  specie  payment,  and  the  New  York  Legisla- 
ture authorized  our  banks  to  suspend  for  a  year.  The 
crisis  of  this  period  was  in  mid-October,  when  the  New 
York  banks  did  suspend,  to  resume  payment,  however, 
at  the  middle  of  December.  Besides  the  more  serious 
distress,  there  was  much  private  annoyance  during  this 
time  from  the  fact  that  owing  to  general  distrust  bank- 
notes were  commonly  uncurrent  save  at  the  places  of 
their  issue.  Not  infrequent  were  the  cases,  several  of 
which  were  known  to  me,  where  travellers  with  plenty 
of  money,  which  was  perfectly  sound  and  good,  found 
themselves  in  places  remote  from  their  homes  sud- 
denly reduced  to  temporary  want,  because,  in  the  univer- 
sal suspicion  and  excitement,  all  notes  were  refused  save 
those   of  neighboring  banks  whose  condition  was  posi- 


FERNANDO    WOOD,    MAYOR  513 

tively  known.  From  this  cause  important  journeys  were 
delayed  in  progress,  and  many  little  private  tragedies 
were  enacted. 

A  great  religious  revival  began  and  continued  to 
increase,  according  to  the  law  by  which  these  manifesta- 
tions accompany  periods  of  general  misfortune. 

In  August  the  first  Atlantic  cable,  having  been  laid 
successfully,  gave  signs  of  promise,  but  it  soon  ceased  to 
work  in  any  degree. 

November  23,  the  remains  of  Major-General  Worth 
were  removed  from  Greenwood  Cemetery  to  the  City 
Hall,  where  they  lay  in  state  until  the  25th,  when  they 
were  taken  under  military  escort  to  the  place  of  the 
monument  now  standing  at  Twenty-fifth  Street,  between 
Broadway  and  Fifth  Avenue,  and  there  deposited,  the 
monument  being  dedicated. 

It  was  in  this  year  that,  the  possession  of  the  land 
within  the  boundaries  of  the  proposed  Central  Park  hav- 
ing been  obtained  on  the  5th  of  February,  by  the  award 
of  the  Commissioners  of  damage  and  benefit,  the  Park 
Commissioners  assumed  control  and  appointed  as  land- 
scape architects  Frederick  Law  Olmsted  and  Calvert 
Vaux,  to  whose  genius  and  skill  we  owe  that  delightful 
pleasure-ground  as  it  exists  to-day. 

The  increasing  dissatisfaction  evinced  by  the  residents 
of  the  eastern  shore  of  Staten  Island,  as  to  the  existence 
of  the  Marine  Hospital  there,  induced  the  State  to 
transfer  it  to  Sandy  Hook;  but  the  State  of  New  Jersey, 
as  possessor  of  the  territory,  objected;  hence  a  second 
removal  became  indispensable,  and  Seguin's  Point  on  the 
south  side  of  Staten  Island  was  selected  and  occupied. 
Soon  after,  the  residents  of  the  vicinity  burned  the 
hospitals  there;  whereupon,  in  1859,  a  steamer's  hulk,  the 
Falcon,  was  obtained  and  used  as  a  floating  hospital. 

The  project  of  constructing  a  suspension  bridge 
between     this   city    and     Brooklyn    being    entertained, 

17 


514  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

Thomas  A.  Roebling,  an  engineer  of  Trenton,  N.  J., 
designed  one  and  estimated  its  cost  at  less  than  two 
million  five  hundred  thousand  dollars.  After  the  passage 
of  the  law  authorizing  its  construction,  he  was  appointed 
the  engineer,  and  upon  his  death,  which  occurred  soon 
after,  his  son,  John  A.  Roebling,  was  appointed  to  suc- 
ceed him,  and  he  prosecuted  the  work  to  a  successful 
completion. 

In  this  year  the  New  York  Historical  Society  first 
occupied  its  present  building.  The  Broadway  Taber- 
nacle was  sold,  and  the  Association  soon  after  removed 
to  its  present  location  at  Sixth  Avenue  and  Thirty-fourth 
Street. 

The  public  was  much  surprised  and  interested  in  read- 
ing the  announcement  of  the  marriage  of  Miss  Mary  Ann 
Baker,  daughter  of  a  very  much  esteemed  citizen,  to  John 
Dean,  her  father's  coachman.  So  distasteful  was  the 
marriage  to  her  father  that  he  essayed  to  remove  her 
from  the  country,  and  also  to  have  her  declared  a  lunatic, 
in  both  of  which  attempts  he  failed,  and  soon  after  the 
affair  lapsed  into  oblivion. 

The  Orphans'  Home  and  Asylum  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  was  organized  in  1852,  and  incor- 
porated in  this  year,  Forty-ninth  Street,  between  Fourth 
and  Lexington  avenues,  for  orphans  and  half  orphans, 
three  to  eight  years  of  age.  The  incurably  diseased  or 
mentally  imperfect  are  not  received. 

As  steamers  have  almost  wholly  absorbed  the  transport 
of  passengers,  and  as  sailing  vessels  other  than  those 
employed  on  whaling  voyages  or  short  coast  routes  will 
soon  disappear,  a  record  of  the  size  and  equipment  of 
one  of  our  many  ships  trading  between  this  and  Kurope 
may  become  interesting:  thus  The  Queen  of  the  JVest, 
built  here  in  1843,  by  Brown  &  Bell  for  Woodhull 
Minturn's  line  of  Liverpool  Packets.  Her  dimensions 
Were   length,   179  feet  4  inches;   beam,   37  feet   6  inches; 


FERNANDO    WOOD,    MAYOR 


515 


hold,  20  feet,  and  tonnage,  1160.  The  cabins  were  78 
feet  in  length  and  berthed  58  adults,  as  well  as  having 
accommodations  for  steerage  passengers,  all  in  addition 
to  a  full  freight  in  accordance  with  her  capacity  to 
bear  it. 

In  this  year  the  Cooper  Union  was  built. 


PRISON    SHIP  "JERSEY,"    1777-1783. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 
1858-1859. DANIEL    F.     TIEMANN,     MAYOR 

1858.  The  corner-stone  of  St.  Patrick's  Cathedral  on 
Fifth  Avenue,  between  Fiftieth  and  Fifty-first  streets, 
was  laid.  The  entire  plot  of  land  extending  to  Madison 
Avenue  was  given  to  the  Roman  Catholics  by  the  City  in 
1857  for  the  nominal  sum  of  one  dollar. 

A  great  enlargement  of  the  Astor  Library  was  made 
by  Mr.  William  B.  Astor. 

The  vast  religious  revival  then  in  progress  became  more 
widely  extended,  and  increased  in  fervor. 

January  17,  the  first  practical  test  of  two  new  steam 
fire-engines  occurred,  both  of  these  newly  acquired 
machines  being  employed  at  a  fire.  Chief  Harry 
Howard  made  a  report  regarding  them  to  the  Common 
Council,  the  substance  of  which  was  that  he  "was  free 
to  say  "  that  he  did  not  think  much  of  them. 

Niblo's  Theatre  was  occupied  by  Dan  Rice's  Circus 
until  late  in  March,  when  the  Ravels  followed  for  two 
months. 

Mary  Devlin  at  Burton's  New  Theatre  made  her  debut 
in  New  York,  playing  Juliette  to  Miss  Cushman's  Romeo. 
Miss  Devlin  was  much  admired  on  our  stage;  she  mar- 
ried Edwin  Booth  in  July,  i860,  retiring  soon  after  to 
private  life.  She  died  in  February,  1863.  Placide, 
Blake,  and  Brougham  were  all  in  the  cast  of  "London 
Assurance." 

February  3.  The  steamer  Baltic  left  Liverpool  on  the 
last  voyage  of  the  famous  Collins  Line  of  steamers  to 
Liverpool,  it  finally  succumbing  under  pressure  of  the  loss 
of  the  Arctic  and  Pacific  and  adverse  conditions. 


DANIEL    F.     TIEMAXN,    MAYOR  5 1 7 

March  i.  At  Laura  Keene's  Theatre,  Miss  Polly 
Marshall   made   her  first  appearance    on   that  stage. 

April  2,  Central  Park  extended  to  One  hundred  and 
tenth  Street  and  on  17th  Madison  Avenue  extended. 

May  11,  three  Sisters  and  nine  patients  moved  into 
St.  Luke's  Hospital,  and  the  regular  work  of  that  noble 
charity  was  thus  begun. 

In  June,  and  again  in  July,  accidents  befell  the  new 
Atlantic  cable,  but  on  August  6  ail  the  long  effort  ex- 
pended on  this  essay  issued  in  success.  My  readers 
who  have  grown  up  in  a  world  of  cables  can  scarce 
imagine  the  enthusiasm — or  I  might  say  the  transport 
— which  this  extraordinary  event  created.  Queen 
Victoria  congratulated  the  President  in  a  despatch 
across  the  ocean,  and  Mr.  Buchanan  replied  to  the 
Queen.  The  "Cable  Celebration  "  in  New  York  will  be 
long  remembered;  the  city  was  illuminated,  Te  Deum 
was  sung  in  Trinity  Church,  a  banquet  was  given  to 
Cyrus  W.  Field,  whose  energy  had  accomplished  the 
great  work.  The  whole  land  broke  out  into  celebration. 
Nevertheless,  the  cable,  that  had  cost  so  much  labor 
and  money,  and  was  the  cause  of  so  much  rejoicing, 
shortly  broke  down  entirely  and  again  there  was  silence 
between  the  continents,  to  the  bitter  disappointment  of 
projectors  and  people  alike. 

During  the  illuminations  in  New  York,  the  cupola  of  the 
City  Hall  caught  fire  and  the  upper  story  suffered  con- 
siderable damage,  which  was  not  for  a  long  time  repaired. 

Purdy's  National,  which  had  been  busy  since  the  fall 
with  a  variety  of  performances,  in  which  the  leading 
attractions  were  G.  L.  Fox,  F.  S.  Chanfrau,  Lawrence 
Barrett,  H.  A.  Perry,  "  Yankee  "  Locke,  Fanny  Herring, 
and  Emily  Mestayer,  was  closed  on  August  30. 

September  20,  Marietta  Piccolomini  made  her  first 
appearance  in  America  at  Burton's  in  "La  Traviata,"  as 
Violetta,  a  part   written    for   her   by  the  composer.      The 


51 8  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

effect  produced  by  this  artist  upon  our  susceptible  youth 
may  be  inferred  from  Artemus  Ward's  tribute  to  her, 
which  may  be  found  in  the  collected  works  of  that  social 
philosopher,  and  a  summary  of  which  is  contained  in  his 
single  sentence  to  the  effect  that  "  Fassinatin  peple  is 
her  best  holt." 

October  3,  Burton  with  his  company^  under  Eddy's 
management,  succeeded  the  Ravels  at  Xiblo's.  At  his 
benefit,  on  the  day  and  evening  of  the  15th,  the  house  was 
besieged  by  tremendous  audiences,  and  Burton,  in  the 
parts  of  Timothy  Toodle,  Ebenezer  Sudden,  Toby  Tramp,  and 
Mr.  Micaivber,  was  received  with  overwhelming  applause. 
This  proved  to  be  his  last  appearance  in  New  York. 
After  a  little  travel  in  the  provinces  he  returned  here, 
where  he  died  February  9,  i860,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six, 
leaving  a  handsome  fortune  and  a  remarkable  dramatic 
and  literary  library. 

The  receipt  by  me  this  morning  of  the  third  price-list 
or  catalogue  within  a  week,  of  wines,  liquors,  etc.,  from 
different  firms  of  the  city,  in  which  the  champagnes 
of  many  producers  are  included,  further  reminds  me  of 
the  difference  in  social  customs  of  the  day  and  those 
of  fifty  years  past.  A  schoolmate  of  mine,  whose  family 
resided  on  Broadway  and  maintained  a  carriage,  gave 
dinners,  evening  parties,  etc.,  told  me  some  time  about 
1830  that,  until  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age  he  had 
never  to  his  knowledge  seen  a  bottle  of  champagne,  and 
then  only  at  the  house  of  a  French  gentleman  on  the 
occasion  of  a  great  festivity. 

The  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel,  which  had  been  commenced 
in  1856,  was  completed  and  leased  by  Paran  Stevens  for 
a  term  of  years. 

Up  to  this  time  the  street  cars  of  the  Harlem  Railroad 
ran  from  opposite  the  Hall  of  Records  to  Forty-second 
Street;  after  this  they  ran  through  Madison  Avenue  to 
Seventy-ninth  Street. 


DANIEL    F.     TIEMANN,   MAYOR 


519 


The  peculiar  observance  of  the  first  day  of  January  or 
"New  Year's"  as  it  was  termed,  originating  with  the 
primitive  Dutch  inhabitants,  was  maintained  up  to  this 
time,    when    it   rapidly    lessened,    until    now  (1895)    the 


NO.    1    BROADWAY,    1859 


ancient  custom  of  visiting  on  New  Year's  Day  has  wholly 
passed  away.  In  order  the  better  to  explain  how  and  to 
what  extent  this  custom  was  observed,  I  give  my  experi- 
ence in  the  year  1833.  In  company  with  a  friend,  each 
fortified  with  his  list  of  parties,  or  where  to  call,  we 
began  at  nine  in  the  morning,  and  at  five  in  the  afternoon 


520  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

we  ceased,  having  visited  sixty-seven  houses.  In  some 
cases,  in  consequence  of  the  great  number  of  "callers" 
in  a  house,  we  merely  walked  in  and  said  "  Happy  New 
Year,"  or  "  Compliments  of  the  Season,"  "Thank  you, 
we  dare  not  indulge,"  "Good-morning."  At  other 
houses,  when  the  young  ladies  were  especially  interesting, 
a  few  minutes'  conversation  and  a  sip  of  cherry  bounce 
or  coffee,  "Good-morning,"  and  off  to  another  house. 
Such  was  the  routine  of  the  young  men,  while  the  elder, 
having  fewer  visits  to  make,  remained  longer  at  their 
calls  and  indulged  in  the  table,  lavishly  spread  with 
crullers,  doughnuts,  cookies  (New  Year's  cakes),  pickled 
and  stewed  oysters,  chicken,  turkey,  mince-pies,  jellies, 
etc.,  and  with  wines  and  liqueurs. 

No.  102  Fifth  Avenue,  36  by  80  feet,  was  sold  in  this 
year  for  $31,200. 

October  15,  Tom  Taylor's  play,  "  Our  American 
Cousin,"  was  produced  at  Laura  Keene's  Theatre,  and 
had  a  run  that  extended  beyond  anything  before  known 
on  our  stage.  Mr.  Joseph  Jefferson,  in  his  "  Autobiog- 
raphy," remarks  that  "the  success  of  the  play  proved 
the  turning-point  in  the  career  of  three  persons," 
Miss  Keene,  E.  A.  Sothern,  and  himself.  Meantime  at 
YVallack's  was  put  o^  for  counter  attraction  "The 
Veteran,"  composed  by  J.  Lester  Wallack,  a  spectacular 
melodrama;  which  also  had  a  great  (though  less)  success. 
The  necessary  sacrifice  of  Lester  YVallack's  whiskers  to 
the  similitude  of  a  French  officer  in  this  part  excited 
general  lamentation  among  the  young  womanhood  of 
the  city.  The  elder  Wallack  played  Colonel  Delmar,  and 
Brougham  was  Oflan  Agan,  an  Irish  convert  to  Moham- 
medanism, who  had  not  altogether  laid  aside  some  of  the 
natural  O'Flanagan  tastes,  as  for  drink  and  the  like. 
Some  of  his  scenes  with  Mrs.  Vernon  as  Mrs.  McShake 
were  very  amusing,  and  the  piece  contained  many  mili- 
tary effects,  picturesquely  presented. 


DANIEL    F.     TIEMANN,    MAYOR  52 1 

October  18,  the  city,  as  well  as  the  whole  country,  was 
excited  by  news  of  John  Brown's  raid  into  Virginia  to 
free  the  slaves. 

The  House  of  the  Good  Shepherd  opened  at  foot  of 
Ninetieth  Street  and  East  River.  Objects,  the  reforma- 
tion of  inebriates  and  fallen  women  who  wish  to  re- 
form; the  care  of  those  who  may  be  in  danger  of 
falling,  and  of  the  girls  committed  to  it  by  the  city  magis- 
trates. No  involuntary  detention  or  regard  to  creed  or 
nationality. 

November  9,  the  bust  of  Schiller,  in  its  secluded  nook 
of  the  Ramble  in  Central  Park,  was  unveiled. 

The  Dreadnaught,  Captain  S.  Samuels,  the  clipper 
which  once  had  arrived  here  from  Liverpool  the  same 
day  the  Cunard  steamer  Canada  reached  Boston,  that 
had  left  Liverpool  the  day  before,  in  this  year  made 
the  run  hence  to  Rock  Light,  Liverpool,  in  thirteen  days 
and  eight  hours. 

Depau  Row  in  Bleecker  Street,  between  Thompson 
and  Sullivan,  constructed  in  1846,  was  once  in  dis- 
tinguished occupancy,  but  the  unforeseen  and  rapid 
translation  of  our  residents  beyond  this,  soon  left  it  in 
the  background,  and  its  occupation  and  surroundings, 
from  about  1870,  have  so  materially  changed,  that  it 
would  be  difficult  for  a  passer-by  of  the  period  to  credit 
its  former  purpose  and  occupation.  It  is  questionable 
if  a  single  native  occupies  any  part  of  it.  Passing  it  on 
a  late  occasion,  its  condition  reminded  me  of  the  Hen! 
quantum  mutatus  ab  illo! 

1859.  In  addition  to  the  customs  of  the  early  period  of 
these  "Reminiscences,"  before  recited:  A  late  visit  to 
a  public  horse  stable,  erroneously  termed  "livery,"  re- 
minds me  of  the  difference  of  some  of  the  day  and  those 
of  the  time  of  my  first  observation  of  them.     Thus: 

A  furnished  office,  matting,  prints,  fire-place,  wash- 
stand,   harness   and    clothes    closets,    gas    light,  etc.,   as 

,7* 


522 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


opposed  to  a  very  common  and  rough-built  wooden 
structure,  for  there  was  not  a  brick  or  stone  one  for  this 
use  in  the  city,  rarely  an  office  proper;  the  horses  led 
to  the  nearest  street  pump  for  water,  and  not  a  blanket 


GOVERNOR    STUYVESANT'S    HOUSE,    WHITE    HALL,    ERECTED    1658 


for  them,  however  cold  the  weather,  these  not  being  in 
general  use  even  in  private  stables;  but  as  some  amelio- 
ration of  their  condition,  horses'  tails  were  seldom 
"docked";  occasionally  "  pricked  "  and,  in  the  teams 
of  a  few  young  men,  their  ears  were  sometimes  clipped, 
but  that  cruel  device,  a  "  Kemble  Jackson  "  rein,  was 
unknown. 

The  manner  in  which  our  street  lamps  are  lighted  is  so 
very  different  from  that  practised  even  for  a  very  long 
period  after  oil  was  replaced  by  gas,  that  I  hold  it 
worthy  of  being  recited.      Thus: 


DANIEL    F.     TIEMAXN,    MAYOR  523 

A  street  gas  lamp  can  now  be  lighted  in  2-fo  seconds, 
and  the  lighting  of  the  oil  lamps  involved  the  use  of  a 
ladder,  a  vessel  of  spirits  of  turpentine,  a  lantern  and 
a  torch,  and  if  by  the  severity  of  the  weather  the  torch 
was  extinguished,  the  relighting  of  it,  before  friction 
or  loco  foco  matches  were  known,  was  a  dilatory  matter. 
On  the  following  morning  the  ladder  was  again  required, 
the  lamp  refilled,  and  the  wick  trimmed. 

In  addition  to  the  lamps  being  far  apart,  and  the  light 
they  gave  very  insufficient,  they  were  not  required  to 
be  lighted  on  moonlight  nights,  but  the  contractor  for 
the  lighting  held  and  practised  that  moonlight  nights 
were  designated  by  the  Calendar,  and  not  by  the  accident 
of  an  obscured  sky. 

This  is  Easter  Sunday,  and  the  style  of  women's 
bonnets  awakens  remembrances  of  those  of  the  early 
period  of  these  "Reminiscences " ;  and  I  am  of  the  convic- 
tion that  if  a  woman  had  then  appeared  upon  the  streets 
with  one  of  the  straggling  constructions  of  the  day  which 
a  sailor  would  term  a  "  hurrah's  nest,"  she  would  have 
been  held  to  be  a  second  Ophelia,  and  would  have  risked 
arrest  as  a  wandering  lunatic. 

In  this  connection  one  is  reminded  of  Pope's 

"In  words  and  fashions,  the  same  rule  will  hold, 
Alike  fantastic,  be  they  new  or  old  : 
Be  not  the  first,  by  whom  the  new  are  tried, 
Or  yet  the  last  to  lay  the  old  aside." 

As  the  public  notices  of  the  meetings  of  the  Tam- 
many Society  have  been  discontinued  of  late  years, 
and  as  they  were  of  an  unusual  form,  I  think  it  well  to 
preserve  a  record  of  them.  They  were  published  at  the 
head  of  the  inside  page  of  a  Democratic  paper,  and  after 
notifying  the  members  of  the  meeting  and  when  it  was  to 
occur,  they  would  close  in  accordance  with  the  season  and 
the  year: 


524  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

In  this  year  and  month  of  October,  thus:  Season  of 
Fruits,  Tenth  Moon,  Year  of  Discovery  367th,  of  Inde- 
pendence 84th,  and  of  the  Society  73d. 

October  13,  Frances  A.,  a  daughter  of  ex-Lieutenant 
W.  A.  Bartlett  of  the  U.  S.  Navy,  and  a  shipmate  of  mine 
in  1837-38,  was  married  in  St.  Patrick's  Church  by  Arch- 
bishop Hughes  to  a  very  rich  gentleman  from  Cuba,  Don 
Estaban  Santa  Cruz  de  Oviedo,  and  in  consequence  of 
the  value  of  the  diamonds  and  pearls,  estimated  at  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars,  he  gave  his  bride,  this  mar- 
riage was  attended  with  more  eclat  than  any  that  ever 
preceded  or  followed  it  here.  The  ceremony  was  termed 
and  universally  known  as  the  "  Diamond  Wedding,"  and 
as  it  was  the  first  of  such  a  character,  a  description  of  all 
the  parties  concerned  and  a  recital  of  all  that  occurred 
in  connection  with  it  were  themes,  not  only  for  our  city 
papers  but  for  those  of  the  country  at  large  and  even 
abroad.  Mr.  Stedman's  poem,  "The  Diamond  Wedding," 
refers  to  this. 

The  curiosity  to  witness  the  wedding  was  so  general 
that,  for  the  first  time  in  this  city,  cards  of  admission  to 
the  church  were  issued,  and  the  services  of  a  squad  of 
policemen  were  necessary  to  control  the  crowd  of  vulgar 
people  who  essayed  to  see  the  bride  and  groom. 

Oviedo  died  soon  after  and,  being  without  a  direct  heir, 
his  wife  under  the  Spanish  laws  was  not  entitled  to  a 
right  of  dower,  and  all  the  property  that  he  had  given  her, 
which  was  held  to  be  heir-looms,  was  taken  away  from 
her.  She  married  again  an  Austrian  baron,  but  so  unfor- 
tunately that  she  now  is  in  embarrassed  circumstances. 

Female  cashiers,  with  the  exception  of  one  in  Del- 
monico  Brothers'  Restaurant,  when  they  opened  it  in 
1831,  in  William  Street,  were  wholly  unknown  here  until 
within  a  few  years.  So  novel  was  the  practice  that  this 
place  was  patronized  in  some  instances  in  order  to  verify 
the  assertion  that  there  was  a  woman  cashier. 


DANIEL    F.     TIEMANN,    MAYOR  525 

John  Ordronaux,  a  sugar  refiner  at  28-30  Leonard 
Street,  surprised  all  by  the  employment  of  his  wife  as 
bookkeeper  and  clerk. 

'These,  however,  were  not  really  instances,  as  the 
present  profuse  employment  of  women  is  an  instance,  of 
social  manners  of  our  own  civilization;  they  were  merely 
French  importations. 

Pigeon-shooting,  like  horse-racing,  has  become  afflicted 
with  Anglomania.  Retaining  the  gun  below  the  elbow 
until  the  trap  is  sprung,  and  a  restriction  to  a  discharge 
from  "but  one  barrel,  is  changed,  not  only  to  holding  it 
above  the  elbow  before  the  trap  "ground"  is  opened, 
but  sighting  with  the  gun  and  the  privilege  of  a  second 
discharge. 

Prior  to  this  year  the  Board  of  Aldermen  consti- 
tuted also  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  and  on  January  4  a 
Board  of  twelve  Supervisors  that  had  been  elected  by  the 
provisions  of  an  Act  of  the  Legislature  of  the  15th  of 
April  of  the  preceding  year,  convened  and  organized. 

Ninth  Avenue  Railroad  was  opened  and  operated  in 
this  year. 

In  this  year  the  Legislature  repealed  the  restrictive 
Excise  Law,  alike  to  the  "  Maine  Law,"  it  had  enacted  in 
1855.  It  was  very  strictly  enforced.  Under  its  pro- 
visions all  dispensing  of  liquors  was  disallowed  save  for 
mechanical,  chemical,  or  medicinal  purposes  (or  wine  for 
the  Sacrament),  save  by  citizens  under  severe  bonds,  with 
two  sureties  (householders),  and  the  keeping  of  books 
with  all  particulars  of  sales  open  to  public  examination. 
Severe  penalties  provided  imprisonment  for  first  offence 
against  two  sections  of  the  Act,  and  for  second  offence 
against  one  section. 

Restrictions  on  transportation  of  liquors  conformed  to 
other  requirements  of  the  Act.  Liquors  kept  in  violation 
of  the  Act  were  declared  to  be  a  public  nuisance. 


CHAPTER    XXVII 
i860.— FERNANDO    WOOD,    MAYOR 

i860.  This  last  year  of  these  "Reminiscences  "  was  the 
last  of  a  great  historical  period  ending  in  the  Civil  War 
and  changes  consequent  thereon.  Near  at  hand  as  that 
upheaval  was,  the  people  generally,  and  specially  those 
of  Republican  politics,  refused  to  believe  that  in  any  case 
the  Southern  States  would  secede  from  the  Union,  and 
looked  upon  the  many  signs  of  coming  trouble  as  only 
the  excited  accompaniments  of  an  unusually  ardent  cam- 
paign for  the  Presidency,  destined  to  disappear  in 
renewed  quiet  when  the  election  should  be  over.  Those 
who  held  the  contrary  view  were  ridiculed  by  the 
majority.  I  remember  that  when  one  of  my  acquaint- 
ances declared  himself  unwilling  to  make  some  projected 
changes  in  his  business  because  he  thought  that  war 
between  the  States  was  probable,  he  was  much  laughed 
at,  and  with  many  persons  his  reputation  as  a  man  of 
sense  and  judgment  suffered  seriously. 

In  short,  it  was  almost  universally  held  in  the 
North  that  the  South  never  would  secede,  just  as  the 
South  believed  that  in  case  of  secession  the  North 
would  not  fight  for  the  Union.  Yet  on  December  20 
South  Carolina  did  secede,  and  before  the  year  ended 
(December  26)  Anderson  had  spiked  the  guns  of  Moultrie, 
abandoned  that  fort,  and  occupied  Fort  Sumter. 

Yet,  meanwhile,  New  York  enjoyed  a  summer  of 
unusual  festivity.  June  16,  exceeding  interest  was 
excited  not  only  in  New  York,  but  throughout  the 
United  States  by  the  visit  of  the  Japanese  Embassy, 
including    two    princes    of    the    reigning    family,    which 


FERNANDO     WOOD,    MAYOR  527 

reached  the  city  via  Albany,  and  was  landed  and  received 
at  the  Battery,  and  escorted  by  the  municipal  authorities 
and  the  military  to  their  assigned  quarters  at  the  Metro- 
politan Hotel.  Soon  after,  a  matinee  was  given  by 
Mr.  Bennett  of  the  Herald  at  his  residence  on  Washington 
Heights,  which  was  held  to  have  been  a  very  sumptuous 
and  successful  entertainment,  and  was  followed  by  a  ball 
and  supper  by  the  Corporation  at  the  Embassy's  quarters 
in  the  hotel.  Tickets  for  admission  to  the  entertain- 
ment were  held  in  such  estimation  that  they  were  pur- 
chased at  extravagant  prices. 

The  service  on  this  occasion,  according  to  authentic 
reports,  was  so  far  in  excess  of  that  of  any  previous  enter- 
tainment of  the  kind  that  I  forbear  to  describe  it;  one 
of  the  items,  that  of  champagne,  was  given  in  thousands 
of  bottles,  the  cost  of  the  entertainment  approximating 
a  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

Many  of  my  readers  will  find  it  difficult  to  conceive 
the  novelty  to  us,  in  that  day,  of  things  Japanese  and 
the  first  appearance  here  of  representatives  of  that 
ancient  empire. 

They  may  remember  that  this  notable  visit  occurred 
but  eight  years  after  Commodore  Perry's  expedition  to 
Japan,  which  first  opened  the  way  to  any  intercourse 
between  ourselves  and  that  nation,  but  it  will  be  difficult 
or  perhaps  even  impossible,  for  readers  of  modern  times 
brought  up  amid  surroundings  of  Japanese  art,  accus- 
tomed to  deal  in  Japanese  shops,  familiar  with  Japanese 
gentlemen  in  our  society,  and  used  to  the  custom  of 
summer  tours  in  Japan,  to  picture  to  themselves  the 
sense  of  absolute  strangeness  which  this  meeting  with 
Japanese  civilization  imposed  upon  our  most  accomplished 
citizens  in  i860.  Probably  it  is  well  for  us  not  to  know 
what  was  the  effect  upon  these  high-bred  Japanese, 
reared  in  a  system  of  politeness  so  delicate  as  still  to 
seem   almost   beyond    Western  comprehension,   of  their 


528  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

contact  with  the  New  York  aldermen,  who  on  this  occa- 
sion rioted  even  unusually  in  the  unusual  opportunity 
of  gratuitous  feasting.  The  Embassy  was  received  every- 
where with  what  we  intended  for  distinguished  honors, 
and  the  result  of  it  was  of  great  consequence  in  effect 
upon  the  future  of  Japan.  It  cannot  be  said  that  we  grew 
very  rapidly  in  knowledge  of  our  new  friends  and  their 
products,  for  it  was  quite  a  dozen  years  after  i860  that  a 
merchant  brought  to  New  York  a  large  invoice  of  Japa- 
nese objects  of  art,  small  and  great,  which  filled  a  large 
shop,  but  which  our  citizens  treated  with  almost  entire 
indifference,  much  to  his  astonishment  and  discomfiture. 
These  objects  were  many  of  them  ancient,  and  all  of  them 
in  the  pure  native  style,  unaffected  by  Western  influence; 
such  a  collection  as  would  excite  keen  interest  in  New 
York  to-day;  but  it  remained  almost  wholly  unnoticed. 
The  few  whose  culture  or  natural  good  taste  could  partly 
appreciate  the  new  forms  of  art,  bought  such  things  from 
the  collection  as  they  could  afford,  but  the  bulk  of  it 
remained  a  dead  weight  on  the  importer's  hands,  and 
was  finally  disposed  of  by  auction  at  absurdly  low  prices. 
The  cashier  of  a  bank  in  this  city  who  had  taken  from 
it  in  varied  amounts,  to  meet  his  losses  in  stock  specula- 
tion, a  sum  in  excess  of  his  capacity  to  repay,  upon  the 
approach  of  the  period  when  his  account  was  to  be  exam- 
ined, made  his  position  known  to  a  lawyer,  who  advised 
him  to  take  an  amount  equal  to  his  deficiency,  confess 
to  the  directors,  and  settle  with  them  by  restoring  one- 
half  of  his  indebtedness,  and  being  permitted  to  resign. 
He  followed  the  advice,  with  the  addition  of  taking  twice 
the  amount  of  his  deficiency,  and  then  told  the  directors 
that  if  he  was  permitted  to  resign  and  no  report  made  of 
the  matter,  his  relations  and  friends  would  make  up  one- 
third  of  the  amount,  which  being  consented  to,  he  paid 
the  amount  and  resigned,  with  a  sum  equal  to  that  of  his 
losses  in  his  possession. 


FERNANDO    WOOD,    MAYOR  529 

Popular  interest  was  again  excited  in  July  by  arrival 
of  the  enormous  steamer  Great  Eastern,  which  lay  for  a 
time  on  exhibition  at  the  foot  of  Hammond  Street,  where 
she  was  visited  by  thousands  who  wondered  at  the  pro- 
portions which  justified  her  earlier  name  of  Leviathan. 

Other  visitors  of  the  summer  were  the  Prince  de  Join- 
ville  and  Lady  Franklin,  who  came  on  an  errand  of  grati- 
tude to  those  who  had  generously  aided  in  the  search  for 
her  husband,  Sir  John,  the  Arctic  explorer,  whose  fate 
had  been  discovered  by  McClintock  in  the  year  preceding. 

October,  the  year's  festivity  reached  its  height  with 
the  visit  of  the  Prince  of  Wales,  who  was  greeted  by 
immense  throngs  on  his  arrival  here  from  Quebec  via 
Boston.  The  harbor  was  full  of  steam  and  sailing  craft, 
all  in  gay  attire. 

After  the  Prince  had  received  the  Mayor,  etc.,  on 
board  of  the  frigate  in  which  he  had  arrived,  which  he 
did  in  dress  suited  to  the  occasion,  he  was  taken  to 
Castle  Garden,  where  he  received  the  military  officers, 
and  the  time  occupied  in  changing  his  dress,  according 
to  the  etiquette  of  the  ceremony,  was  so  extended  that 
night  was  approaching  before  the  line  of  march  entered 
Broadway,  which  was  lined  by  fully  one  hundred  thou- 
sand people,  conspicuous  among  whom  were  women  with 
infants  in  their  arms,  borne  in  order  that  they  at  some 
future  period  might  say  they  had  seen  the  Prince  of 
Wales;  so,  as  it  was  near  the  middle  of  October,  and  as 
the  evening  air  then,  under  the  most  favorable  circum- 
stances of  weather,  is  not  salutary  to  infants  or  even 
lightly  cfad  children  and  women,  the  result  of  over  six 
hours  (from  two  to  eight)  in  the  open  air  might  have 
been  predicted. 

The  Prince  was  escorted  to  the  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel, 
where  he  was  subjected  to  all  the  forms  of  attention 
which  are  supposed  to  be  proper  for  distinguished  visi- 
tors, which  were  received  by  him  with  admirable  patience. 


53° 


REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 


He  was  accompanied  by  the  Duke  of  Newcastle  and  was 
heralded  simply  as  the  Baron  Renfrew. 

The  delay  that  attends  our  public  exhibitions  and 
processions,  for  a  people  who  are  held  to  be  active  and 
enterprising,  is  remarkable.  One  of  our  late  militia 
generals  was  notorious  for  his  procrastination  in  mov- 
ing his  command  beyond  the  time  he  had  assigned.  On 
the  occasion  of  a  grand  "  function"  in  a  city  in  Europe, 
I  witnessed  an  exhibition  of  promptness  that  would  have 
put  our  officers  to  the  blush.  The  time  of  march  was 
fixed  at  10  o'clock  a.  m.,  and  before  the  city  clock  had 
ceased  striking  the  hour,  the  word  of  command  was  given, 
and  the  head  of  the  line  was  in  advance  motion. 

On  the  12th  a  ball  was  given  to  the  Prince  at  the 
Academy  of  Music.  The  "  Prince's  Ball,"  long  famous 
in  our  social  history,  was  the  occasion  of  great  display 
and  some  jealousies  and  heart-burnings,  and  on  the  13th 
an  evening  parade  of  the  Fire  Department  was  given  in 
his  honor. 

The    Presidential   campaign    was  now   active,   popular 


FORT    CLINTON,    AT    M'GOWAN'S    PASS 


53i 

excitement  running  very  high,  ending  in  the  election 
of  Abraham  Lincoln  and  some  clearer  indications  of  the 
purpose  of  the  South.  Considerable  financial  distress 
manifested  itself;  South  Carolina  seceded  in  the  month 
of  December,  and  the  year  which  had  been  so  full  of 
gayety  closed  in  trouble  and  fear. 

The  Metropolitan  Police  occupied  at  this  time  a  build- 
ing in  White  Street,  near  Broadway,  afterward  removing 
to  the  corner  of  Elm  and  Broome  streets,  and  soon  after 
commenced  the  erection  of  the  present  building  in  Mott 
and  Mulberry  streets.  The  opportunities  presented  to 
patrolmen  for  levying  blackmail  upon  those  whose  pur- 
suits or  practice  rendered  them  amenable  to  the  ordi- 
nances, were  availed  of  even  at  this  early  stage  of  the 
existence  of  the  department. 

The  first  tenement  house,  constructed  as  such,  in  this 
city  (see  p.  33?)  was  lately  taken  down,  as  it  was  within 
the  area  of  Corlear's  Park.  In  i860  there  were  several 
hundred  of  such  houses,  while  now  (1895)  they  have 
increased  to  many  thousands.  A  census  alone  will 
reveal  the  number  of  their  dwellers.  Sixty-five  of  all 
ages  is  an  average  number  for  a  house,  and  in  some 
houses  of  but  25  feet  front,  on  lots  100  feet  in  depth, 
100  occupants  are  frequently  found. 

Mayor  Wood  suggested  that  all  the  Target  companies 
in  the  city  should  meet  on  a  certain  day,  and  march  in 
review  before  him  at  the  City  Hall.  They  concurred, 
and  the  display  took  place;  but  the  aggregation  of  the 
companies  was  not  a  manifest  success;  whether  the 
deficiency  in  the  number  of  pioneers  to  adorn  each  com- 
pany, or  the  absence  of  the  prizes  and  the  negro  with  his 
target  was  the  cause,  no  one  could  determine;  but  on 
one  point  they  agreed — that  there  was  a  void. 

From  that  time  the  eclat  of  ''target  companies" 
waned,  and  with  the  exception  of  some  one  or  two  on 
Thanksgiving  day,  Christmas,  or  New  Year's,  the  custom 


532  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

is  becoming  somewhat  like  to  the  existence  of  "  Gentle- 
men of  the  Old  School,"  or  "  Buffaloes  in  the  West" — it 
is  dying  out. 

The  introduction  of  steam  fire-engines  was  still  opposed 
in  this  year,  and  their  advocates  were  termed  enemies  of 
the  Volunteer  Department  and  hirelings  of  the  insurance 
companies.  The  steam-engines  were  declared  in  formal 
reports  to  want  capability  and  quickness  of  operation, 
and  therefore  to  be  of  no  value,  save  perhaps  as  occa- 
sionally auxiliary  to  the  hand  machines.  Most  fires,  it 
was  said,  were  subdued  in  an  early  stage,  by  the  quick- 
ness of  the  hand  engines,  so  the  steamers  would  most 
often  not  be  needed.  Nevertheless,  it  was  scarce  more 
than  a  year  from  this  time  that  eleven  steamers  were 
in  service,  and,  by  the  year  1865,  twenty-seven  were 
employed;  so  rapid  was  the  change  of  opinion  on  this 
important  subject. 

The  World  newspaper  was  founded  in  June  of  this 
year;  originally  designed  as  a  religious  daily.  The 
Courier  and  Enquirer  was  merged  with  it  in  186 1.  Later 
it  passed  into  Democratic  hands,  and  for  some  time 
occupied  a  high  position  under  control  of  Mr.  Manton 
Marble. 

The  population  of  New  York  in  this  year  slightly  ex- 
ceeded eight  hundred  and  five  thousand.  This  was  the 
period  when  the  city's  growth  began  to  depart  substan- 
tially from  John  Pintard's  famous  estimate  of  New  York's 
future  population,  which  he  made  at  the  beginning  of  the 
century  and  which  had  been  realized  with  close  accuracy 
until  this  date.  After  i860,  Pintard's  ingenious  though 
simple  calculation  seems  to  go  wildly  wrong,  since  its 
result  for  the  year  1900  is  to  give  New  York  5,257,493 
inhabitants,  or  about  two  and  a  half  times  more  than 
the  census  of  what  we  used  to  call  New  York  will  prob- 
ably count  for  that  year.  But  of  course  Pintard  could 
not  allow   for  the  devastation  of  war,  which   reduced  the 


FERNANDO     WOOD,   MAYOR 


533 


K, 


'illfS'    i 


HH 


PARK    PLACE,    1836 


city's  decennial  rate  of  increase  from  56.27  per  cent,  be- 
tween 1850  and  i860  to  16.96  per  cent,  for  the  next  ten 
years — a  loss  never  to  be  retrieved.  Nor  could  he  have 
foreseen  the  rise  of  our  Western  empire,  with  its  mul- 
tiplied great  cities,  all  of  which  drew  upon  the  East  for 
their  early  capital  stock  of  population;  a  cause  which 
must  have  made  at  least  some  temporary  diminution  of 
our  natural  growth,  and  to  which,  together  with  the  war, 
may  be  attributed  the  decline  from  our  average  decennial 
rate  of  increase  which  amounted  to  nearly  sixty  per  cent, 
during  the  forty  years  from  1820  to  i860,  to  scarce  more 
than  twenty-three  per  cent,  average  for  the  thirty  years 
of  i860  to  1890.  But  Pintard's  estimate  is  to  be  further 
justified  by  more  immediate  considerations.  We  have  to 
consider  what  he  meant  by  "  New  York."  He  may  not 
have  foreseen  consciously  the  difficulties  of  intra-mural 
travel  which  have  driven  so  many  New  Yorkers  into 
country  districts  for  places  of  residence,  but  it  is  certain 
that  he  could  not  have  posited  his  5,257,493  population 
of  1900  all  upon  the  Island  of  Manhattan,  and  must 
have  meant  by  New  York  what  we  mean  by  London, 
Paris,    Philadelphia,    Chicago — that    is,     the    contiguous 


534  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

population  on  different  sides  of  the  rivers  Thames,  Seine, 
Schuylkill,  and  Chicago.  In  fairness  to  him,  therefore, 
we  must  compute  for  an  area  such  as  is  contained  in  the 
cities  just  named,  that  is,  for  what  we  call  the  Metropoli- 
tan District,  including  besides  the  political  New  York, 
the  near-by  region  in  close  view  from  eminences  on  this 
Island,  which  contains  a  greater  population  than  is  at 
present  (1895)  under  our  City  Government.  This  dis- 
trict will  probably  contain  in  1900  about  four  and  a  half 
millions  of  people,  which  is  not  so  very  far  away  from  Pin- 
tard's  five  and  a  quarter  millions — only  about  fourteen 
per  cent.  less. 

We  may  project  a  hypothetical  computation  beyond 
Pintard's  date,  and  enquire  what  will  be  our  population 
fifty  years  later  than  the  last  census.  If  the  rate  of 
increase  of  the  last  fifty  years  (including  the  depressed 
war  period)  shall  be  maintained,  the  year  1940  will  witness 
a  population  of  seven  and  a  half  millions  within  the 
present  limits  of  New  York.  The  rate  of  increase  of  the 
outlying  parts  is  so  various  as  to  make  computation  of 
future  growth  in  them  a  very  difficult  matter,  as  all  esti- 
mates are  subject  to  the  law  which  reduces  the  rate  of 
increase  when  population  has  passed  beyond  a  certain 
stage.  Thus  London,  taken  for  precisely  the  same  limits 
in  order  to  test  the  working  of  this  law,  increased  decen- 
nially at  the  rate  of  twenty-five  per  cent,  for  the  first  forty 
years  of  this  century,  but  the  rate  dropped  to  twenty  per 
cent,  for  the  next  two  decennial  periods,  and  fell  further 
to  eleven  per  cent,  for  the  next  ten  years,  and  to  about 
nine  per  cent,  for  the  next  ten. 

Regarding  the  ''Bowery"  Theatre — as  it  was  univer- 
sally though  erroneously  termed,  as  its  title  was  "  New 
York  " — and  Mr.  Hamblin,  who  was  so  long  identified  with 
it,  he,  by  the  burning  of  the  Bowery  in  1836,  lost  heavily, 
and  thereupon  leased  the  ground  and  went  to  Europe;  but 
returning  in  1837   (see  p.  341),    he  resumed  the  manage- 


FERNANDO     WOOD,   MAYOR  535 

ment,  which  he  continued,  with  the  interruption  of  another 
fire  in  1845  (see  P-  32I)>  until  his  death  in  1853.  In  1848 
he  added  the  lease  of  the  Park  Theatre,  an  unfortunate 
venture,  since  the  building  was  burned  with  heavy  loss  to 
him  (see  p.  444).  Hamblin  in  his  late  years  catered  for 
the  million,  with  plays  of  the  "  blood  and  thunder  "  order, 
so  that  in  its  locality  his  theatre  was  known  as  the  Bowery 
Slaughter  House.  A  man  of  irregular  private  life,  he  was 
honorable  in  all  business  relations,  and  his  generosity 
was  proverbial. 

In  the  latter  years  of  its  existence  the  price  of  admis- 
sion to  the  Bowery  pit  was  but  twelve  and  one  half-cents, 
and  as  a  result  it  was  the  resort  of  very  many  boys,  and, 
in  many  cases,  the  low  price  was  such  an  inducement  for 
them  to  go  that  they  did  not  hesitate  at  petty  thefts  to 
obtain  the  small  sum  required. 

As  the  Volunteer  Fire  Department  has  been  disbanded 
and  replaced  by  a  Municipal  Department  (1865),  the 
members  of  which  are  paid  for  their  services,  it  is  just 
to  the  former  that  the  position  it  for  a  long  time  so 
deservedly  occupied  in  the  confidence  of  the  community, 
and  the  zealous  and  effective  discharge  of  the  self- 
assumed  duties  of  its  members,  should  be  acknowledged 
in  the  present  time,  and  recorded  for  the  future. 

Up  to  within  a  few  years  before  the  first  date  of  these 
11  Reminiscences,"  as  fire-engines  were  deficient  in  capac- 
ity to  raise  water  for  their  supply  from  a  river  or  cistern, 
they  were  supplied  either  from  a  stream  of  water  from  a 
pump  or  by  buckets.  To  obtain  the  necessary  number 
of  the  latter  to  enable  water  to  be  borne  from  a  distance, 
all  householders  were  required  to  provide  themselves 
each  with  two  leather  buckets,  with  their  names  painted 
thereon,  in  order  that  they  might  be  returned  after  being 
used,  and  universally  they  were  kept  suspended  in  the 
main  hall  or  entry  of  the  dwelling,  beside  the  hall  lamp, 
always    in   place   and    convenient  to    reach.      Although 


536  REMINISCENCES    OF    AX    OCTOGENARIAN 

householders  of  later  years  might  object  to  such  a  dis- 
play as  not  in  keeping  with  marble  floors  and  frescoed 
ceilings,  it  was,  in  the  period  referred  to,  held  to  be  a 
token  of  reputable  citizenship.  Upon  the  occurrence  of 
a  fire,  all  citizens  within  any  practicable  distance  seized 
their  buckets,  and  arriving  upon  the  scene  of  operation, 
they  ranged  in  line,  passing  the  filled  buckets  up,  while 
women  and  boys  passed  the  empty  ones  down. 

It  was  within  this  century  that  engines  capable  of 
drawing  water  and  supplying  themselves  were  introduced. 
In  the  absence,  however,  of  a  distributed  supply  under  a 
head,  as  furnished  by  our  hydrants  in  about  1833,  it  was 
very  rare  when  less  than  three  engines,  each  with  two 
hundred  feet  of  hose,  were  necessary  to  conduct  and 
project  a  stream  of  water  upon  a  fire.  In  one  case 
I  know,  when  the  cisterns  in  the  vicinity  of  a  fire 
had  been  exhausted,  a  line  extending  from  Greene 
Street  to  the  North  River  was  resorted  to,  involving 
the  operation  of  sixteen  engines  to  obtain  a  single 
stream  of  water. 

In  support  of  the  claims  for  the  efficiency  of  the 
Volunteer  Department,  it  is  submitted  that  the  engines 
were  drawn  by  hand  over  cobble-stone  pavements,  and 
that,  with  the  exception  of  a  small  bell  on  the  City  Hall 
and  one  on  the  Jail  (now  Hall  of  Records),  and  on  the 
two  watch-houses  in  Christopher  and  Eldridge  streets, 
general  alarms  of  fire  were  not  given,  until  the  bell- 
ringers  of  some  churches  were  alarmed  and  then  pro- 
ceeded to  their  post,  the  further  to  alarm  by  ringing 
the  bells;  and  yet,  not  until  the  great  fire  of  1835  had 
there  occurred  one  which  the  Department  did  not 
subdue. 

There  is  much  credit  given  to  the  present  Fire  Depart- 
ment, and  justly  too,  for  the  unequalled  celerity  with 
which  its  apparatus  is  harnessed,  manned,  outside  of  its 
house,   and    in   progress   to   a    fire.      From    the    time   of 


557 


receiving  an  alarm  it  is  so  rapid,  five  seconds  in  the  day 
and  twenty  at  night,  that,  but  for  the  repeated  witnessing 
of  it,  it  would  not  be  credited. 

The  members  of  the  Volunteer  Fire  Department  were 
sensitive  on  this  point  of  celerity  of  operation,  and 
although  they  did  not  retire  half-dressed,  and  slide  down 
a    pole   instead  of  running  down  a   stairway,  they  were 

expeditious.        Thus:  

the  zealous,  when  re- 
tiring, raised  a  win- 
dow in  their  room  in 
order  to  enable  them 
more  readily  to  hear 
an  alarm;  retained 
their  stockings,  and 
withdrew  a  basket 
from  under  the  bed 
in  which  were  their 
fire  boots  and  clothes 
— the  operation  of 
dressing  was  narrowed 
down  to  drawing  on 
their  boots,  the  pan- 
taloons which  were 
gathered  over  them 
were  raised,  coat  and 

cap  secured,  and  the  finishing  touches  were  effected 
while  going  out  of  the  house  and  in  the  street. 

In  illustration  of  the  zeal  displayed  by  some,  and  the 
celerity  with  which  they  could  reach  the  engine-house, 
I  know  of  a  case  where  a  person  paid  a  private  watchman 
one  dollar  per  night  for  eighteen  nights  to  give  him  the 
alarm,  if  one  occurred.  One  occurred,  and  the  watch- 
man having  also  to  alarm  another  party,  he  was  overtaken 
in  the  street  by  the  one  he  first  alarmed. 

The  point  of  honor  was  "to  take  the  engine  out,"  that 


V  €  «$gKte 


CITY  HALL  PARK,  BROADWAY.  JOTHAM 
SMITH'S  DRY  GOODS  STORE.  JOHN'  JACOB 
ASTOR'S  HOUSE.  SITE  OF  ASTOR  HOUSE  AND 
VANDENHEUVEL  HOUSE.  SITE  OF  AMERI- 
CAN  HOTEL 


538  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

is,  to  be  the  first  at  the  house,  and  as  a  reward  to  be 
entitled  to  "take  the  butt"  (abut  end)  or  hold  the 
pipe,  according  to  the  engine  being  in  line,  or  on  the  fire. 

Of  all  the  theatres  herein  mentioned  I  believe  none 
remain  (Niblo's  having  been  destroyed)  save  the  old 
"Bowery,"  which  maintained  much  of  its  former  charac- 
ter until  about  1879,  when  it  was  remodelled  and  renamed 
the  Thalia.  Now,  under  what  name  I  know  not,  it 
has  become  a  Jewish  theatre,  and  to  old  New  Yorkers 
seems  strange  enough,  with  its  front  plastered  over  with 
placards  in  Hebrew. 

About  this  period,  or  a  few  years  earlier,  an  Italian, 
the  Duke  of  Calibretto,  accompanied  by  a  French  Count, 
arrived  here,  and  they  were  received  in  society.  It 
occurred  that  the  Count  was  so  exceptionally  fortunate 
in  card  playing  that  his  company  was  eschewed  by  the 
young  men  who  had  associated  with  him,  and  he  soon 
after  returned  to  France.  The  Duke  remained,  and  a 
question  arising  as  to  the  authenticity  of  his  rank,  Mr. 
August  Belmont,  through  his  foreign  correspondence, 
learned  that  not  only  was  he  a  veritable  duke,  but  that 
he  represented  one  of  the  very  oldest  of  the  Italian 
nobility.  Soon  after  he  entered  the  employment  of  a 
man  who  kept  a  public-house  in  Hoboken  on  the  road 
to  Hackensack,  and  upon  the  death  of  the  proprietor 
of  the  house,  he  assumed  it,  and  later  he  occupied  a  house 
fronting  the  ferry  at  Hoboken,  designating  it  "The 
Duke's  House,"  which  he  maintained  for  a  long  time  in 
high  reputation  for  excellence  of  cooking  and  service. 

Before  closing  these  "  Reminiscences,"  it  is  pertinent  to 
them  to  put  on  record  a  few  illustrations  of  the  passenger 
street  travel  of  the  preceding  period.  In  connection, 
then,  with  the  notices  of  the  primitive  stage  routes  given 
in  the  early  chapters,  the  following  are  added:  In  1830 
there  was  established  an  irregular  line  of  stages  (omni- 
buses) between  Bleecker  Street  and  the  Bowling  Green, 


FERNANDO    WOOD,     MAYOR  539 

and  occasionally  a  passenger  could  have  himself  carried 
some  distance  above  Bleecker  Street.  In  like  manner,  so 
late  as  1836,  Asa  Hall  and  Kipp  &  Brown,  of  the  Green- 
wich lines,  had  small  stages  ("carry-alls"  they  were 
termed),  in  which  passengers  were  transferred  from 
Charles  Street  to  their  destination  within  the  limit  of 
Twenty-third  Street  and  Seventh  Avenue.  In  1845  this 
Broadway  line  was  purchased  by  John  Marshall,  who 
extended  the  service  from  Corporal  Thompson's 
(Twenty-third  Street  and  Fifth  Avenue)  through  Fifth 
Avenue  to  Thirteenth  Street,  thence  through  University 
Place  to  Eleventh  Street,  then  to  Broadway,  through 
Broadway  to  Fulton  Street,  and  then  to  the  Brooklyn 
Ferry.  In  1846  Samuel  W.  Andrews,  in  company  with 
another,  bought  the  line,  consisting  of  less  than  twenty 
stages,  increased  soon  after  to  thirty. 

The  character  of  their  service  can  be  judged  of  by  the 
following  estimate:  The  distance  from  Twenty-third 
Street  and  Fifth  Avenue  to  Brooklyn  Ferry,  via  the 
route  given,  is  2^  miles,  and  the  time  of  transit  of  one  of 
the  stages,  with  a  very  liberal  deduction  for  that  lost 
by  delays,  changing  horses,  etc.,  would  average  one  hour 
and  ten  minutes,  involving  an  interval  of  nearly  five 
minutes  between  the  times  of  service  of  fifteen  stages 
each  way.  In  1850  the  route  was  extended  to  Forty- 
third  Street,  and  soon  after  to  Forty-seventh  Street;  the 
service  was  increased  by  a  very  great  addition  to  the 
number  of  stages  and  the  route  through  Thirteenth  and 
Eleventh  streets,  through  to  Broadway. 

There  was  another  effective  line  from  Thirty-second 
Street  through  Fourth  Avenue  to  Fourteenth  Street  and 
thence  through  Broadway  to  the  South  Ferry,  and  an- 
other through  Madison  Avenue  from  Forty-second  Street 
to  the  Wall  Street  Ferry. 

The  completion  of  the  Brooklyn  Bridge,  and  the  obtain- 
ing of  a  franchise  for  a  railroad  in  Broadway  by  Jacob 


54©  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

Sharp,  arrested  the  stage  lines,  and  for  a  brief  period  all 
of  them  ceased  running. 

The  Messrs.  Andrews,  and  the  proprietors  of  the  Fourth 
Avenue  line,  put  what  were  termed  fare-boxes  in  their 
stages,  furnishing  their  drivers  with  varied  sums  of 
money  in  envelopes,  whereby  a  passenger  not  being  able 
to  put  the  exact  fare  in  the  box,  could  receive  from  the 
driver  an  envelope  containing  the  value  of  ten,  twenty- 
five,  and  fifty  cents,  or  a  dollar  in  change.  This  was  held 
by  the  drivers  to  be  too  severe  a  reflection  upon  their 
character  for  honesty,  and  they  organized  and  •"  struck." 
Some  persons  were  so  illiberal  as  to  charge  that  their 
opposition  to  the  box  was  because  it  precluded  the  oppor- 
tunity of  omitting  to  return  all  the  fares  they  received. 
For  a  few  days  the  service  of  the  line  was  broken;  but  in 
the  end  capital  and  enterprise  proved  superior  to  the 
exigencies  of  labor.  During  the  brief  period  of  the 
strike,  the  efforts  of  the  proprietors  of  the  line  to  main- 
tain the  service  afforded  much  amusement  to  the  public 
on  the  route.  Mr.  Marshall  and  such  persons  as  he 
could  obtain  to  aid  him  undertook  the  piloting  of  the 
stages,  and  as  usual,  under  like  circumstances,  the  labor- 
ing public  sympathized  with  the  striking  drivers,  and  the 
manner  in  which  the  drivers  of  trucks,  wagons,  and  cabs 
blocked  the  way  of  the  stages  and  in  race  course  parlance 
"  pocketed "  them,  was  amusing  to  all  but  the  pas- 
sengers and  the  proprietors  of  the  lines. 

The  fares  of  the  various  lines  gradually  dropped  from 
25,  12^,  10,  to  6%  cents.  Later  the  disappearance  of 
the  sixpences  (6.25  cents),  in  consequence  of  the  arrest  of 
specie  payments  at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  had  ren- 
dered the  6-cent  fare  so  very  inconvenient  that  it  was 
reduced  to  5  cents.  About  18.30  the  service  of  the 
Grower  line  was  increased  by  the  addition  of  four-horse 
vehicles,  with  a  boy  collector  of  the  fares  (12^  cents) 
seated  on  the  outside. 


FERNANDO    WOOD,    MAYOR  541 

On  Bloomingdale  Road,  the  several  hotels,  in  every 
instance  but  Dodge's  at  Kingsbridge,  were  the  former 
country  residences  of  well-known  families.  Such  were 
"  Burnham's,"  "  Batterson's,"  the  "  Abbey,"  "Wood- 
lawn,"  and  "  Claremont." 

On  the  East  side,  in  addition  to  "Cato's,"  there  were 
on  the  Third  Avenue  "Nolan's";  the  "Five-Mile 
House";  "Hazard's,"  at  Eighty-second  Street;  the 
"Red  House,"  at  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Street,  and 
"  Bradshaw's,"  at  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth  Street. 

Customs,  manners,  and  all  the  elements  that  constitute 
that  which  is  called  Life,  have  so  changed  since  the  early 
period  of  these  "  Reminiscences,"  that  it  is  only  one  who 
has  witnessed  the  changes  who  can  give  full  credit  to 
them.  The  primitive  customs  of  the  Knickerbocker  have 
measurably  departed.  Foreign  immigration,  commerce, 
manufactures,  and  the  consequent  accumulation  of  wealth 
and  the  changes  attendant  thereon,  have  in  a  great 
measure  obliterated  not  only  the  distinctive  features  of 
our  people  of  the  past  century,  but  even  the  topography 
of  the  city  has  changed.  The  Battery  as  an  elegant 
resort,  the  Bloomingdale  and  Cato's  roads  and  Third 
Avenue,  for  drives;  Stuyvesant's,  Sunfish,  and  Cedar 
ponds  for  skating,  and  the  Park  Theatre  for  the  drama 
proper  have  passed  away. 

The  first  of  these  roads  is  a  street,  erroneously  termed 
a  Boulevard,  the  second  is  closed,  and  the  last  invaded 
by  two  railroads;  the  ponds  are  filled  in,  and  in  place 
of  the  drama,  we  have  for  the  greater  part  ephemeral 
absurdities  as  inconsistent  in  design  as  they  are  debasing 
in  exhibition. 

The  "  Home  "  of  early  days  is  regrettably  passing;  the 
evening  walks  in  the  Battery  in  the  summer,  the  nut- 
cracking  and  candy-pulling  parties  in  the  winter  of  the 
young,  the  family  whist  party  of  the  elders,  the  evening 
visiting  of  neighbors  and  friends  by  all,  drives  on  Cato's 


542  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

or  Bloomingdale  Road,  have  given  place  to  drives  in 
Central  Park,  to  dinner  at  eight  o'clock,  operas,  theatres, 
balls,  and  clubs. 

In  home  life  of  the  early  days  here  noted,  the  woman 
ruled;  as  wife,  mother,  or  sister;  the  home  was  the 
cradle  of  affection,  the  woman  molded  the  character  of 
the  child,  and  tempered  that  of  the  man,  for  which 

"  A  domestic  woman  of  her  husband  seen 
To  be  at  once  both  subject  and  the  Queen, 
Whilst  he,  the  ruler  of  their  wide  domains, 
She  sitting  at  his  foot-stool  reigns." 

In  this  year  the  administration  of  the  Almshouse  by 
an  Act  of  the  Legislature  was  transferred  to  a  Board  of 
ten  Governors,  and  the  following  were  appointed: 

Isaac  Townsend,  B.  F.  Pinckney,  C.  Godfrey  Gunther, 
Isaac  J.  Oliver,  Washington  Smith,  Wm.  L.  Pinckney, 
Chas.  Brueninghausen,  P.  G.  Moloney,  Anthony  Dugro, 
and  James  Lynch. 


The  records  of  the  following  incidents,  being  accident- 
ally laid  aside,  were  omitted  in  their  proper  places. 

In  1840  I  first  saw  ailanthus  trees;  they  had  been 
brought  here  some  few  years  previous,  and  were  gener- 
ally termed  the  "  Pride  of  China,"  and  were  said  not 
only  to  absorb  or  dispel  miasmatic  influence,  but  to  be 
noxious  to  flies  and  insects  generally. 

1841.  September  16.  By  a  resolution  of  the  Common 
Council  a  Board  of  Supervisors  was  created,  consisting 
of  the  Mayor,  Recorder,  and  Aldermen. 

1844.  The  Long  Island  Railroad,  which  was  com- 
menced in  1834,  was  opened  to  Hicksville  in  1837,  to 
Southampton  in  1841,  and  in  this  year  to  (ireenport. 

1848.  The  grooved  and  square-block  pavement,  known 
as  the  "  Russ,"  was  laid  in  Broadway,  but  in  a  few  years 
the    surface    of    the    blocks,    from    the    hardness  of   the 


FERNANDO    WOOD,     MAYOR  543 

material,  became  so  smooth  as  to  impede  traffic  over  them, 
and  it  became  necessary  to  replace  them  with  narrower 
blocks  of  a  different  grit,  and  granite  was  substituted. 

The  ''Hunkers"  were  a  faction  of  the  Democratic 
party,  opposed  to  the  "Barnburners";  they  were  sup- 
porters of  the  National  Administration  and  subsequently 
they  were  known  as  the  "  Hard  shells." 

1849.  The  line  of  steamers  for  service  hence  to 
Aspinwall — viz.,  Oregon,  Panama,  and  California,  organ- 
ized and  built  by  Wm.  H.  Aspinwall  and  associates — was 
completed  in  this  year. 

The  New  York  Institution  for  the  Instruction  of  the 
Deaf  and  Dumb,  which  was  chartered  in  1817,  was 
opened  in  1818  on  Fiftieth  Street  near  Fourth  Avenue, 
then  removed  to  Eleventh  Avenue  and  One  Hundred 
and  Sixty-third  Street.  It  is  a  free  school  for  all  deaf 
and  dumb  children  over  five  years  of  age,  without  regard 
to  circumstances  of  their  parents. 

In  1850  Henry  R.  Worthington,  representing  Worth- 
ington  &  Baker,  submitted  their  pump  to  Captain  Joseph 
Comstock,  then  in  command  of  a  steamboat  hence  to 
Providence,  which  Captain  Comstock,  upon  the  recom- 
mendation of  his  engineer,  not  only  refused,  but  also 
was  induced  to  refuse  the  request  of  Worthington  to  be 
allowed  to  put  it  on  board  the  vessel  and  to  connect  it  to 
hold  and  boiler  at  his  own  expense,  and  if,  after  opera- 
tion, it  did  not  prove  of  value,  to  remove  it.  He  ulti- 
mately consented,  and  it  was  put  on  board  and  connected. 
Some  months  after  a  feed-pump  of  one  of  the  boilers  of 
the  boat  became  inoperative,  and  as  there  were  no  other 
known  means  of  supplying  it  with  the  necessary  water, 
the  arrest  of  it  and  the  resulting  reduced  speed  of  the 
boat  were  impending,  when  Captain  Comstock  said  to  his 

engineer,  "Where   is  that thing  that  Worthington 

put  on  board?  Suppose  we  try  it."  Thereupon,  though 
without  any  faith,  the  engineer  uncovered  it  from  a  mass 


544  REMINISCENCES    OF    AN    OCTOGENARIAN 

of  material  and  put  it  in  operation,  whereupon  the  boiler 
was  supplied  with  the  required  water  and  that  which  was 
in  the  hold  pumped  out.  On  the  return  of  the  boat  to 
this  city,  Captain  Comstock  sent  for  Worthington  and 
gave  him  a  certificate  setting  forth  the  efficiency  and 
great  value  of  his  pump.  This  pump  with  its  numerous 
modifications  is  now  in  use  in  every  country  in  the 
world,  in  every  steamboat  and  steamer.  A  steamboat 
plying  between  this  city  and  Brooklyn  or  Jersey  City, 
or  crossing  any  stream  anywhere,  is  not  held  to  be  safe 
without  one,  and  in  some  sea  steamers  there  are  two  and 
even  more. 

I  have  been  asked  regarding  the  use  of  tobacco  in  the 
early  period  of  these  recitals,  and  I  avail  of  the  oppor- 
tunity to  repeat  that  tobacco-chewing,  and  even  snuffing, 
were  much  more  general  in  the  upper  classes  than  at  the 
present  time,  but  cigar-smoking  was  generally  less,  and 
in  offices  and  stores  it  was  rarely  to  be  seen.  Pipe- 
smoking,  other  than  in  clay  pipes  by  laborers,  was 
seldom  seen,  and  as  to  meerschaums  and  smoking  tubes, 
there  were  none. 

This  is  the  Fourth  of  July,  and  the  deserted  streets 
and  general  quiet  that  pervade,  interrupted  only  at 
intervals  of  time  and  location  by  a  few  boys,  with  their 
fire-crackers  and  pistols,  render  the  contrast  between 
the  observance  of  the  day  now  and  that  of  the  early 
period  of  these  reminiscences  worthy  of  a  more  extended 
notice  than  is  given  at  page  62.  Thus  :  As  voyages  to 
Europe,  other  than  by  a  few  men  on  important  business, 
were  very  infrequent,  and  as  there  were  very  few  people 
who  possessed  country  residences,  people  remained  in  the 
city  until  the  1st  of  August,  when  the  summer  vacation 
(one  month)  of  the  schools  began,  and  consequently  the 
city  was  not  depopulated  as  now  on  the  Fourth  of  July, 
and  in  addition  thereto  all  young  people,  and  many  of 
the  elder,  residing  within  a  practicable  distance  of  the 


FERNANDO    WOOD,    MAYOR 


545 


city,  came  to  it  on  that  day,  and  added  to  the  observance 
of  the  occasion,  indulging  in  roast  pig,  egg-nog,  spruce 
beer  and  mead  in  the  booths,  and  peanuts  and  oranges 
in  the  streets.  There  was  then,  and  for  some  years 
after,  an  article  of  fireworks  known  as  a  snake  from  the 
tortuous  manner  of  its  motion  when  ignited,  which  our 
city  boys  persecuted  the  country  girls  with,  for,  when 
thrown  on  the  sidewalk  near  to  them,  it  was  sure  to  give 
rise  to  a  scream  and  much  commotion.  It  eventually 
became  so  great  and  so  objectionable  a  nuisance  that  the 
further  sale  of  it  was  forbidden  by  law. 

In  conclusion,  and  in  defence  of  the  reference  to  this 
and  some  other  matters  that  might  be  held  unworthy  of 
mention,  it  is  again  submitted  that  in  a  record  of  the 
customs  and  events  of  a  period,  its  interest  is  increased 
and  its  integrity  only  maintained  by  a  full  recital 
of  them. 

"  Nihil  est  aliud  magnum,  quam  multa  minuta." 

There  is  not  anything  so  powerful  as  the  aggregate  of  many  small 
things. 


NOTES 


1  After  the  retreat  from  Long  Island,  it  was  a  question  whether  the 
whole  American  Army  would  not  be  captured  in  New  York,  the  British 
being  in  pursuit.  But  Mrs.  Murray  in  her  house  on  Murray  Hill,  with 
lavish  hospitality  to  General  Howe  (who,  I  think,  was  in  command), 
detained  him  long  enough  to  allow  the  Americans  to  slip  by  along  the 
shore  of  the  Hudson  and  occupy  Fort  Washington  and  other  strong  posts. 
It  was  said  her  madeira  was  the  chief  instrument  to  effect  this  end. 

2  Later  an  equestrian  statue  of  George  III.  in  lead  was  erected  within 
the  Green,  which,  upon  the  Declaration  of  Independence  (1776),  was 
pulled  down  and  molded  into  bullets.  •» 

The  rails  were  surmounted  with  figures  of  the  heads  of  the  several 
members  of  the  Royal  family,  and  at  the  time  of  the  destruction  of  the 
statue  these  figures  were  knocked  off.  The  evidences  of  the  fracture  are 
yet  visible. 

3  A  Mr.  Williams,  who  owned  much  land  there  and  adjoining,  presented 
an  acre  of  it  to  the  Manhattan  Co.  for  the  purpose  of  their  building  a 
banking  house  there,  to  accommodate  it  when  yellow  fever  existed  in 
the  city. 


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n.,,0,,,,1  s„„.,v  1 

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-■,.-,■. 


INDEX 


"  Abbey,"  54 

Abduction    of   Arthur  and  Lewis 

Tappan,  299,  300 
Abingdon    Road    or    Love    Lane, 

8-9 
Abolitionists,  299,  378,  411 
Abolition  Party,   378 
Academy  of  Music,  494,  500,  504 
Acadia,  352 
Adam  and  Eve,  270 
Adams'  Express,  330 
Adams,  John,  97,  257,  339 
Adams,    John    Q.,    235,  339,  383, 

384i  440 
Adams,  Samuel,  Murder  of,  374 
Adelphi  Hotel,  224 
Adirondacks,  194 
Adonis,  Francis,  78 
Adriance,  John,  242 
Advance,  460,  486 
Advertising,  47 
Advices  from  India  via  New  York, 

91 
Advices  from  Liverpool,  etc.,  286, 

452 
Advocate,   The,  47,  ill,    113,  150, 

159,  265 
.Etna,  170 

African  Chapel,  290,  343 
African        Methodist       Episcopal 

Church,  207 
Agricultural  Society,  114 
Ailanthus  Tree,  542 
Ainslie's,  61 
Akerly,  Samuel,  339 
Albany,  172 
Albany  Basin,  6,  12  r 
Albany  Basin,  Sale  of  Lots,  121 
"  Albany  Pony,"  41 1 
Albany  Sloop,  Capsizing  of,  159 
Albany  Stage  Office,  43 
Albany  Vessels,  43 
Albion,  Establishment  of,  135 


Albion,  Loss  of,  131 

Aldermen,  Board  of,  316,  411 

Aldrich,  E.  T.,  426 

Allaire,    James    P.,  54,   159,    269, 

332,  426 
Allaire  Works,  S4 
Allen,  Caradori,  331 
Allen,  Horatio,  240 
Allen,  Lieutenant,  \Ym.  H.,  84 
Allen,  Stephen,  119,  138,  349,  373, 

480 
Alley,  Saul,  222,  349 
Almshouse,  26,  83,   90,    100,    194, 

424,  439,  502,  505,  542 
Almshouse,  Commissioners  of,  100 
"  Alsatia,"  376 
America,  472-474 
America,  Bank  of,  49 
American  Academy  of  Arts,  21 S 
American  Bible  Society,  82 
American     Colonization     Society, 

American  Congre^-,  2 

"  American    Eclipse,"    92,      136, 

143,  144,  387 
American  Express,  330 
American  Hotel,  225,  537 
American  Institute,  187,  237 
American  Line  of  Steamers,  460 
American    Museum,    82,   83,    160, 

2»9-  399 

American  Musical  Institute,  417 

American,  New  York,  no 

"  American  Notes,"  383,  384 

American  Opera  House,  240 

"  American  Star,"   159 

American  Steamers  and  Steam- 
boats, 429 

American  Sunday-school  Union, 
226 

"Americus,"  411 

A  mislead,  342,  343 

Amity  Lane,   10 


547 


548 


INDEX 


Amity  Street,  12 

Amodio,  500 

Amusements,   Places  of,   126,   218 

"  Anatomical"  Hair-cutting,  Boot- 
makers, etc.,  57 

Anchor  Steamship  Line,  482 

Anderson,  Cornelius  V.,  314 

Anderson,  John,  389 

Anderson,  Mr.,  260 

Anderson  Riot,  260 

Andre,  Major,  U.  S.  A.,  22,  123, 
526 

Andrews,  Messrs.,  540 

Andrews,  Samuel  W.,  539 

"Animal  Magnetism,"  467 

Ann  McKim,  282 

Ann  Street,  243,  264 

Anthon,  Rev.  Henry  H.,  377 

Anthony  Street,  12,  84,  264,  310 

Anthony  Street  Riot,  511 

Anthony  Street  Theatre,  50,  102, 
114,  122 

Anthracite  Coal,  65,  116,  119, 
147,  151,  227,  320 

Anti-Masonic  Party,  187 

Apollo  Hall,  410,  411,  417 

Apollo  Saloon,  328 

Apprentices'  Library,  118 

Apprentice  System,  72 

Appleton,  Messrs.,   212 

Apthorpe  Mansion,  22,  258 

Aquarium,  Public,  21 

Aqueduct  Department,  452 

Arabian  Horses,  258 

Ararat,  City  of,  173 

Arbuthnot  and  Ambrister,  235 

Arcade,  216 

Arctic,  459,  461,  495,  516 

Arcularius,  Colonel,  288 

Arden  Street,  237 

Argonaut  Year,  450 

Arion  Society,  437,  494 

Arnold  &  Constable,  no 

Arrival  of  Havre  and  Liverpool 
Packets,  262 

Arsenal,  505 

Arsenal  in  Kim  Street,  288 

Arsenal  in  Madison  Square,  339 

Arsenal,  U.  S.,  165,  339 

Arson,  82 

Art  Street,  no,  337 

Arundel  Street,  229 

Ashburton,  Lord,  359 


Ashburton  Treaty,  389 
Aspinwall,  Wm.  L.,  336 
Assay  Office,  505 
Assessed  Values  and  Expenditures, 

482 
Assize  of  Bread,  114 
Association  of  Hebrews,  173 
Astor  House,  315,  1537 
Astor,  John  Jacob,  315,  418,  440, 

456,  457,  537 
Astor  Library,  122,  440,  456,  485 
Astor  Place,  122 
Astor     Place  Opera  House,    185, 

405,   438,   443,   452,   465,   476, 

480,  493 
Astor  Place  Riot,  186,  454,  455 
Astor,    Wm.    B.,    315,    418,    440, 

456,  516 
Asylum  Street,  272 
Atheneum,  218 
Atheneum  Hotel,  161 
Atlantic  Cable,  513,  517 
Atlantic  Cable  Company,  493 
Atlantic,    Collins    line,  449,  451, 

461 
Atlantic  Garden,  21,  60 
Atlantic  Garden  (Bowery),  357,  360 
Atlantic  Mutual  Ins.  Co.,  385,  492 
Atlantic,  Steamboat,  Loss  of,  429 
Atterbury,  Louis,  223 
Attree,  Wm.  H.,  348 
Attucks,  Crispus,  I 
Atwill,  Assistant  Alderman,  393 
Auction  Hotel,  104,  133 
Augusta,  La  Petite  (Williams),  338 
Augustus  Street,  285 
Austin,  Mrs.,  227 
Automaton  Chess  Players,  218 
Avenue  D  Opened,  101 
Awning  Posts,  445 

Bachelors'  Ball,  233,  255,  407 
Badger,  Bela,   282 
Bailey,  A.  M.,  227 
Bailey,  Benjamin,  227 
Bailey,  Theodorous,  31 
Baked  Pears,  35 
Baker,  Lewis,  498 
Baker,  Mary  Ann,  514 
Baker's  Boy,  35 
Bakers'  Wagons,  505 
Balance  or  Gilbert  Dock,  404 
Ball,  Alderman,  387 


INDEX 


549 


Balloon,  Arrival  of,  410 
Ballston  Spa,  194 
Baltic,  461,  516 
Baltimore  Clippers,  117,  283 
Bananas,  54,  96 
Bancker,  Evert  A. ,  308 
Bancker  Street,  12,  192 
Bancroft,  George,  259,  416,  468 
Bank  Coffee  House,  Xiblo's,   124, 

225,  230 
Bank  of  America,  49,  274 
Bank  of  Commerce,  336 
Bank  of  New  York,  49 
Bank  Question,  290 
Bankrupt  Law,  372,  385,  396 
Banks,  49 

Banks.  Failure  of  Country,  58,  183 
Banquet  at  Castle  Garden,  289 
Barita,  Signora  C,  438 
Baptists,  208,  209,  210 
Baptists'  Resort  for  Immersion,  17 
Barclay  Street,  6 
Barclay   Street  Medical  Institute, 

313 
Barge  Office,  U.  S.,  41 
Baring,  Alexander,  389 
Barker,  Jacob,  102,  183,  185,  189, 

216 
"  Barn  Burners,"  416 
Barnes,  John,  92,   185,  262,   373, 

496 
Barnes,  Mrs.  John,  133,  374 
Barn  Islands,  Great  and  Little,  30 
Barnum,  Captain  H.  L.,  129 
Barnum,    P.   T.,    160,    219,    399, 

463,  464,  470 
Barnum's  Museum  Burned,  161 
Barrett,    George    H.,     191,    328, 

442 
Barrett,  Walter,  158,  179 
Barrett,  Lawrence,  517 
Barrow  Street,  229,  237,  273 
Bartlett,  }.  S.,  135 
Bartlett,  Wm.  A.,  524 
Bartlett,  Francis  A.,  524 
Barton,  Duel  of  Mr.,  223 
Base-ball,  77,  104 
Basins,  6 

Bateman,  Ellen  and  Kate,  458 
Bateman,  II.  L.,  459 
Bath  Race  Course,  103 
Bath-rooms,    Public    and    Private, 

54 


Baths  in  Chambers  Street,  54,  103 

Bath,  Stoppani's,  54 

Battersby,  Mrs.,  132 

Batterson's,  262,  541 

Battery  and  Park  Fences,  34,  126 

Battery  Place,  243,  504 

Battery,  The,  17,  19,  138,  163,  474 

541 

Battle  of  New  Orleans,  Anniver- 
sary of,  150,  222 

Baxter  Street,   324 

Bayard,  Peter  M.,  234 

Bayard,  William,  30 

Beach,  Moses  Y.,  410 

Beards,  69 

Bear  Market,  27 

Beaver  Lane,  237 

Beaver  Street,  13,  285 

Bedlow's  Island,  2S7 

Beecher,  Captain,  166 

Beekman  House,  22 

Beekman,  James  W.,  22 

Beekman's  Greenhouse,  449 

Beekman  Street,  125 

Beekman  Street  Theatre,  50 

Beekman,  William,  22 

Belgium  Pavement,  273,  482 

Bellevue,  26 

Bellevue  Almshouse,  194 

Bellevue,  Employment  of  Prison- 
ers, 16 

Bell,  Jacob,  237 

Bell,  John,  329 

Bellotia,  170,  240 

Bells,  House,  66 

Bell  Tower,  264 

Belmont,  August,  326,  373 

Beman,  Rev.  Dr.,  2S1 

Bennett,  James  G.,  240,  241,  244, 
265,    293,    295,    312,    331,    365, 

335,  396»  527 
Bennett,  J.  G.  &  Co.,  295 
Benson,  Egbert,  30S 
Benson,  Robert  T..  30 
Beresford.  Lord,  300 
Bergh,  Christian,  22,  27,  237,  330, 

403 
Bergh,  Henry,  25 
Bergmann,  Carl,  502 
Berrault,  Charles,  53,  104 
Berrian,  Rev.  Dr.  Wm  ,212 
Bert  rand,  General  Count,  405 
Bethune,  George  W.,  502 


550 


INDEX 


Bidwell,  Marshall  S.,  91 

Billiard  Parlors,  57 

Billiard-rooms,  59 

Billiard,  Shaving,  and  Oyster  Par- 
lors, etc.,  57 

Billings  &  Monnot,  417 

Birch,  George  and  "  Billy,"  447 

Birch,  Harvey,  129,  130 

Bird,  Dr.,  259 

Bishop,  Mme.  Anna,  438,  465 

Bishop,  Sir  Henry,  438 

Black  Ball  Line,  44,  119,  139,  332 

Blackmail,  320 

"  Black  Maria,"  282 

Black  Star  Line,  470 

Blackwell,  Robert,  30 

Blackwell's  Island,  30.  233,  424 

Blake,  William  R.,  160,  328,  442, 
5i6 

Blanchard's     Amphitheatre,     244, 

254 
Bleecker,  James,  &  Co.,  296 
Bleecker  Street,  485 
Bleecker  Street  Savings  Bank,  91, 

324 

Blockhouse,  373 
Blockhouses,  3 
Blocks,  Location  of,  11 
Bloodgood,  John  M.,  168 
Bloomer,  Mrs.  A.  J.,  458 
Bloomingdale  Asylum,  121 
Bloomingdale   or    Harsenville,    6, 

459 
Bloomingdale  Road,  9,  10,  21,  374, 

541 

Bloomingdale  Square,  492 
Bloomingdale  Stage,  101 
Blowing  up  of  a  Building,  306 
"  Blue  Man,"  466 
Blunt,  George  W.,  283 
Boarding-school  for  Boys,  98 
Board  Fences,  12 
Board    of    Aldermen    and    Assist- 
ants, 487 
Board  of  Education,  11 1 
Board  of  Excise,  504 
Hoard  of  Health,  267 
Board    of    Marine    Underwriters, 

425 
Board  of  Supervisors,  504 
Boat  Clubs,  253,  298 
Boat  Ferry  to  Hoboken,  113 
Boat  Race,  159 


Boat  Race,  Eagle  and  Wave,  298 
Bodine,  Mrs.  Polly.  420 
Bogardus,  General  Robert  M.,  124 
Bonaparte,  Louis  Napoleon,  328 
Bonds  and  Stocks,  Sale  of,  386 
Bonfanti,  Joseph,  107,  233 
Booby  Hacks,  34 
Book  Auction,  126 
Book  Club,  297 
Bookmakers,  144 
Booksellers'  Dinner,   326 
Boot  and  Shoe  Blacking  and  Street 

Shoe  Blacking,  88 
Booth,  Edwin,  495,  516 
Booth,  Junius  Brutus,  52,  123,  230, 

232,  245,  301,  371,  474,  496 
Booth,  T.  G.,  405 
Booths  around  the  Park,  62,  371, 

424,  545 
Boot-making,  "Anatomical,"  57 
Boring  for  Water,  217 
Borland,  John,  149 
Borland  &  Forrest,  149 
Boston,  459 
"  Boston,"  387 

"  Boston  Blue,"  132,  195,  410 
"  Boston  Massacre,"  1,  2 
"  Boston  Tea  Party,"  1,  249 
Boston,  Travel  to,  43 
Boston  Turnpike,  7,  21,  165,  221, 

291.  345 
Botanical  Garden,  176,  177 
"  Bottle  Alley,"  376 
Boulevard,  Grand,  22,  541 
Boundary    Line,    New    York  and 

New  Jersey,  286 
Bouquets,  285 
"Bouquet  Man,"  415 
Botdonnib'es,  285 
Bowery  Auction,  358 
Bowery  Bank,  327 
Bowery  Boy,  270,  355 
"  Bowery  "  (New  York)  Theatre, 

191,    192,    220,    230,    246,    254, 

305,    312,    323,    324,    335,    34L 

355,    360,   400,   413,   421,    424, 

435,  457,  534-535,  533 
Bowery,  The,  122,  354-365 
Bowling  Green  Fountain,  403 
Bowling  Green  Railing,  II 
Bowne,  Walter,  227,  231,  243,  264, 

267,  349 
Boyden,  S.  &  F.,  315 


INDEX 


551 


Boyd,  John  J.,  291 

Boyd  &  Hincken,  148 

Boys'  and  Men's  Clothes,  74,  116 

Boys'  Clothing  and  Dress,  74,  76, 

116 
Boys'  Schools,  99 
Brace,  Charles  L. ,  486 
"  Bradshaw's,"  541 
Bradshaw,  Widow,  251 
Brady,  John  T.,  373 
Brady,  Wm.  V.,  431-433 
Braham,  John,  354 
Branch  Bank  of  U.  S.,  49 
Branch  Mint,  419 
Brandreth,  Benjamin,  324 
Brandy  wine,  172 
Brasher,    Alderman     Philip,    140, 

308 
Bread  and  Cheese  Club,  162 
Bread,  Assize  of,  114 
Breakneck  Hill,  11,  261 
Brevoort,    Henry  and   Mrs.,   311, 

348,  372 
<(  Brick  Church,"  93,  204,  212,  501 
Bridewell  and  Jail,    Removal   of, 

151 
Bridewell,  or  City  Prison,  25 
Bridge,  Castle  Garden,  Fall  of,  274 
Briggs,  Charles  F.,  486 
Britannia,  351,  352 
British  Evacuation,  3 
British  Packets,  44 
British  Queen,  340,  416 
Broad  Street,  13 
Broadway,  85,  418,  426,  437,  444, 

461,  504,  519,  537 
Broadway  and  Murray  Street,   58, 

266 
Broadway  Circus,  136,  219 
Broadway,  Corner  of  Grand  Street, 

131 
Broadway  House,  414 
Broadway  Railroad,  539 
Broadway  Stages,  215,  217,  238 
Broadway  Theatre,  186,  219,  328, 

438,  465 
Brokers'  Exchange,  Board  of,  86 
Brokers,  Real  Estate,  296 
Bronx  River,  169,  214 
Brooklyn  Bridge,  539 
Brooklyn  Ferry  and  Boats,  39 
Brooklyn    Ferry    Boat,    Capsizing 

of,  125 


Brooklyn  Heights,  17 
Brooks,  James  and  Erastus,  312 
Brooks,  James  G.,  265 
Broome  Street  Slip,  6 
Brothels,  Licensing  of,  292 
Brougham,  John,  444,  451,  516 
Brougham,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  391 
Brougham's  Lyceum,  329,  465,  479 
Brower,  Abraham,  215,  540 
Brower's  Gallery,  218 
Brown  &  Bell,  145,  470,  514 
Brown  Brothers  &  Co.,  482 
Brown,  David,  237 
Browne,  George  W. ,  104,  189 
Brownell,  J.  S.,  391 
Brown,  Henry  K.,  501 
Brown's,  John,  Raid,  521 
Brown's,    Noah,    Ship-yard    Fire, 

145 
Brown,  Wm.  H.,  459 
Bruce,  David  and  George,  82 
Brueninghausen,  Chas.,  542 
Bryant,  Daniel,  448 
Bryant  Park,  138,  488 
"  Bryant's  Minstrels,"  447 
Bryant,  William  C,  224,  234,  255, 

339,  468,  474 
Bryson,  David,  373 
Buchanan,  Mr.,  517 
Buckley's  New  Orleans  Serenaders, 

446 
Buck's  Horn  Hotel,  28,  247 
Buck's  Tail,  Wearing  of,  91 
Buffalo  Hunt,  405 
"  Bugs,  The,"  295 
Buildings,  Height  of,  315 
Bull  and  Bear  Baiting,  50 
Bulkhead  or  Exterior  Line,  6 
Bulkheads,  Piers,  and  Slips,  6,  7,  90 
Bull  Bait  at  Paulus  Hook,  146 
Bull's  Ferry,  39,  253 
"  Bull's  Head,"  485 
Bull's  Head  Hotel,  28,  168,  191 
Bull's  Head  Stage,  139 
"Bully  Hall's"  Failure,  168 
Buloid,  Robert,  61 
Bunce,  Joseph,  321 
Bunker,  C,  121,  394 
Bunker,  Captain  E.  S.,  186,  217 
Bunker  Hill  Monument,  372,  403 
Bunker,  Wm.  J.,  224 
Burdell,  Harvey,  Dr.,  503 
Burke  and  Hare,  241,  242 


552 


INDEX 


Burke,  Master,  246 

"  Burking,"  241 

Burling  Slip,  6 

"  Burned  District,"  311,  322 

"  Burned  Rag,"  309 

Burnham,  Michael,  47 

Burnham's,  214,  250,  262,  541 

Burns  and  Mclvor,  352 

Burr,  Aaron,  97,  223,  274,  320 

Burton's  Theatre,  371,   400,  407, 

435,  442,  443,  451,  495,  502 
Burton,    Wm.   E.,   339,  371,  442, 

495,  515 
Burying    in    Trinity   Churchyard, 

134 

Business  Condition,  and  Strin- 
gency, 325,  326,  381,  402 

Butchers,  60 

Butchers  and  Shops,  89 

Butchers,  Market,  378 

Butchers,  Number  of,  101 

Butchers'  Parade,  89 

Butler,  Benjamin  F.,  426 

Butler,  Frances  Kemble,  268,  451 

Butler,  Rose,  102 

Butler  &  Heyer,  47 

Butter,  Price  for,  61 

Byrnes,  Trimble  &  Co.,  129 

B.  &  N.  A.  R.  M.  Steam  Packet 
Co.,  352 

"Cable  Celebration,"  517 

Cabs,  54,  367 

Cadets,  West  Point,  249 

Cadwallader,  General,  423 

Cafe1  des  Mille  Colonnes,  388,  407 

Cafe"  Francaise,  59 

Caldwell,  496 

Caldwell,  J.  P.,  387 

Caledonia,  352 

Calibretto,  Duke  of,  538 

California,  436,  443,  450,  451 

Calvary  Church,  427 

Calvinistic  Church,  201 

Cambreling,  C.  C,  308 

Camden  and  Amboy  Railroad,  269 

Campbell,  Mrs.  William  P.,  30 

Campbell's,  448 

Canada,  521 

Canal  Ball,  173 

Canal  Street,  467,  492 

Canal  Street,  Filling  in,  7,  16 

Canal  Street  Sewer  Finished,  ioi 


Canal  Street  Sidewalks,  Extension) 

of,  172,  192 
Candidates  for  Office  and  Expend 

iture  of,  34 
Canned  Vegetables  and  Fruits,  61 
Canning,  Stratford,  113 
Canvas-back  Ducks,  237 
Cape's  Shipyard,  351 
Caps,  Fur,  181 
Cards,  Playing,  70 
Carlton  House,  346,  385 
Carman,  Richard  T.,  251 
Carman,  Samuel,  124 
Carriages,  Private,  6,  9 
Cars,  Street,  54 
Cashier  of  a  Bank,  528 
Cashiers,  Female,  524 
Castle  Clinton,  18,  21,  48,  134 
Castle  Garden,  Fete   at,  154,  340, 

498>  529 

Castle  Garden  Banquet,  289 

Castle  Garden  Bridge,  48,  274 

Castle  Garden  Theatre,  244,  254, 
438,  462,  463 

"  Castle  Point,"  255 

Cathed  ral  ,'Protestant  Episcopal  ,234 

Catherine  Ferry,  39 

Catherine  Market,  27 

Cato's,  61,  63,  195,  250,  313,  541 

Cato's  Road,  17 

Cedar  Creek,  78 

Cedar  Ponds,  541 

Cedar  Street,  264 

"  Cedar  Street  "  Church,  212 

Celebration  of  Dethronement  of 
Charles  X.,  249 

Celeste,  Mme.,  219,  292,  322 

Census,  City,  108 

Census,  United  States,  108 

Centennial  Anniversary  of  Evacua- 
tion, 65 

Centra?  America,  447 

Central  Park,  16,  18,  465,  468,. 
504,  505,  513.  517,  542 

Centre  Market,  138 

Centre  Street,  16,  219,  294 

Century  Club,  431 

Chabert,  Xavier,  279 

Chain  Rigging,  168 

Chains  across  Streets,  74 

Challenge  Horse  Race,  140 

Chamber  of  Commerce,  151,  395, 
425 


INDEX. 


553 


Chambers  Street  Extended,  etc., 

165,  294 
Chambers    Street   Savings    Bank, 

90 
Champagne,  59,  518 
Champ  lain,  300 
Chancellor,  216 
Chancellor  Livingston,   speed    of, 

43,  256 
Chancellor,  Salary  of,  32 
Chanfrau,    F.    S.,   355,   412,   440, 

451,  517 

Chapel  Street,  243,  284 

Chapman,  Caroline,  451 

Charleston  Packets,  131 

Charraud,  John,  107 

Charter,    Defeat  of  Proposed,  452 

Charter  Election,  287,  419 

Charter,  New,  487 

Chatharn  Garden  Theatre,  123, 
132,  100,  174,  186,  240,  241, 
244,  254,  259,  344,  345,  405, 
412 

Chatham  Street,  12 

Chatham  Street  Chapel  Riot,  289 

Chatham  Street  Garden,  160 

Chatham  Street,  Great  Fire  in,  204 

"  Cheap  Johns,"  358 

Cheapside,  220 

Chelsea,  190,  262,  267,  279 

Chemical  Bank,  152 

Cherry  Street,  13,  311 

Chestnuts,  Roasted,  54,  229 

Chief  of  Police,  324, 

Chiffoniers,  54 

Child,  Lydia  M.,  280 

Children's  Aid  Society,  486 

Children's  Sports,  77 

Chilton,  Dr.,  158 

Chimney  Fires,  146 

Chimney  Sweeps,  35 

Chinchilla  Hat  and  Negress,  181 

Chiropodist,  490 

Cholera,  456 

Cholera  Hospitals,  265,  267 

"  Cholera  Year,"  266 

Christ  Church,  50,  140,  434 

Christian  Intelligencer,  253 

Christmas,  78,  98,  150,  213,  531 

"  Christmas  Tree,"  330 

Christopher  Street,  272 

Christopher  Street  Ferry,  218 

Christy,  E.  P.,  446 
18* 


Christy,  George  (Harrington),  446, 

447 
"  Christy's  Minstrels,"  446 
Chrystie,  Lieutenant-colonel  John, 

84 
Chrystie  Street,  229 
Churches  and  Houses  of  Worship, 

197-213 
Churches,  Number  of,  139 
Church  of  the  Ascension,  375 
Church  of  the  Messiah,  212 
Church  Service,  74,  213 
Cigarettes,  54 
Cigars  and  Case,  57 
Cigar  Smoking,  544 
Cincinnati,  Travel  from,  231 
"  Cinderella,"  254,  275 
Circuit  Judges,  32 
Circulating  Libraries,  126 
Circus,  Broadway,  219 
Cisterns,  Rain  Water,  36 
Citizen,  240 

"  City  Assemblies,"  367 
City  Bank,  49 

City  Bank,  Robbery  of,  258 
City  Blocks,  11 
City  Despatch  Post,  385 
City  Directory,  35,  86,  467 
City  Expenditures,  214 
City  Fire  Engine,  196 
City,  Fortifying  of,  18 
City  Hall  and  Park,  67,  155,  228, 

517,  537 
City  Hall  Fire  Alarm  Bell,  286 
City  Hall  Park,  4,  537 
City  Hall  Place,  285 
City  Hall,  Rear  of,  86 
City  Hotel,  28,  92,  224,  229,  273, 

317,  461 
City  Library,  218 
City  Officers,  32 
City  of  Mexico,  Painting  of,  32 
City  Ordinances,  180 
City  Prison  or  Bridewell,  26 
City  Stages,  231 
City  Theatre,  132 
City  Treasury,  Balance  in,  101 
Civil  War,  526 
"  Clam  Man,"  35 
"  Claremont,  The,"  25,  377,  541 
Clarion,  367 

Clark,  Aaron,  112,  311,  335 
Clark  &  Browne,  133 


554 


INDEX. 


Clark,  D.  A.,  420 

Clarke,  Captain  Thomas,  262 

Clarke,  McDonald,  95 

Clark,  Lewis  G.,  271 

Clarkson,  Bishop,  281 

Clarkson,  General,  154 

Classical  Schools,  148 

Clay  Campaign,  408 

Clay,  Henry,  341,  402,  439,  477 

Cleaning    of    Streets,    Piers,    etc., 

168 
Clerks,  71 

Cliff  Street,  2,  220,  501 
Clifton,  Josephine,  259,  260 
Clinch,  Charles  P.,  132,  241,  262 
Clinton,  Fort,  18 
Clinton,  General  Charles,  22 
Clinton,  Governor   De   Witt,  100, 

228,  238,  420 
Clinton  Hall,  277,  474,481,493 
Clintonians,  101 
Clinton  Market,  215,  237 
Clipper  Ships,  470-472 
Clothes,  Men  and  Boys',  74 
Clothiers  or  "  Merchant  Tailors," 

77 

Clubs,  54 

Clyde,  Thomas,  417 

Coal  Co.,  Rhode  Island,  65 

Coal,  Use  of,  65 

"  Coasting,"  12 

Coastwise  Navigation,  First  by 
Steam,  108 

Coddington,  Jonathan  I.,  308, 
409 

Coenties  Slip,  6,  294 

Coenties  Slip  Filled  in,  294 

Coffee  House  Slip,  6 

Coffee  House,  Tontine,  The,  29,  48 

"  Coffin  Handbills,"  236 

Cogswell,  Dr.  Jos.  F.,  440 

Golden,  Cadwallader  D.,  78,  84, 
102,  113,  119 

Colden,  David  C,  189 

Cold,  Intense,  119,  176 

Cold  Water  and  Drinks,  112 

Coleman,  William,  47 

Coles,  Nathaniel,  144 

Collect  Market,  27 

Collect  Street,  229 

Collect,  The,  14 

College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons, 28,  193 


College  Place,  81,  243,  284,  496 

Collins,  E.  K.,  448,  461 

Collins,  E.  K.  &  Co.,  322 

Collins  Line,  449,  459,  460,  516 

Colonization  Society,  American, 
27 

Colonnade  Row,  296 

"  Colored  Persons  Allowed  in  this 
Car,"  181 

Colored  Presbyterians,  206 

Colored  Theatre,  123,  162 

Colt,  Samuel,  374,  377 

Columbia,  352 

Columbia  College,  81,  121,  176, 
414,  502 

Columbia  College,  Site  of.  121, 
502 

Colvin,  Andrew,  216 

Commerce,  160,  171 

Commerce,  Bank  of,  336 

Commerce  of  New  York,  84 

Commercial  Advertiser,  47,  255. 
294,  330,  413 

Commercial  Distress,  183 

Commissioners'  Map  of  1807,  IJ» 
119,  180 

Committee  of  Citizens  on  Munici- 
pal Laws,  245 

Committee  of  Vigilance,  300 

Committee  to  Submit  a  New  Con- 
stitution, 428 

Common  Council,  32,  86,  259 

Common  Prayer-book,  213 

Common  School  System,  399 

Communion,  213 

Comptroller,  265 

Comstock,  Capt   Jos.,  543 

Coney  Island,  31,  251,  331 

Conflagrations,  Three  Extensive,. 
256 

"  Congo  Minstrels,"  411 

Congregational  Churches,  201 

Congress  Hall,  28 

Connecticut,  43,  133 

Conolly,  Richard  B.,  309,  487 

Conover,  D.  D.,  506 

Consolidated  Gas  Company,  210 

Constable,  High,  31 

Constitution  and  Constellation 
Launched,  176 

Constitution,  New,  134 

Constitution's  Quick  Passage  and 
Collapse  of  a  Flue  in  Boiler,  170 


INDEX. 


555 


Constitution,  U.  S.  Frigate,  302 

Contoit,  John  H.,  59,  60 

Contoit's  Garden,  350. 

Conviction  of  Directors  of  Insur- 
ance Companies,  183 

Cooke,  George  F.,  52,  301 

Cooley,  James  E.,  389 

Cooper,  Edward,  ill 

Cooper,  James  Fenimore,  129, 
162,  221,  277,  292,  336,  474,  496 

Cooper,  Peter,  in,  493 

Cooper's,  Peter,  Glue  Factory,  15 

Cooper,  Thomas,  52,  102,  346,  347 

Cooper  Union,  112,  515 

Copper  Tokens,   310 

Corlear's  Hook,  17 

Corlear's  Park,  531 

Corlies,  402 

Corn  Doctor,  490 

Cornelia  Street,  272 

Cornell,  Robert  C,  421 

Corner  Stores,  379 

Coroner,  Election  of,  134 

Coroners,  Appointment  of,  32 

Corporal  Thompson,  366,  487,  539 

Corporation  Ball  and  Supper,  543 

Corporation  Yard,  82,  85 

Cortlandt  Street  Ferry,  39 

Coster,  John  and  Gerard  H.,  251, 

273 
Coster,  John  G. ,  413 
Cotte,  Peter,  96 
Cotton,  Consumption  of,  179 
Cotton,  Rise  in  Price,  152 
"  Cotton  Wearers,"  390 
Councilmen,  Board  of,  487 
Counters  of  Banks,  Protection  of, 

70 
Country  and  Fish  Market,  278 
Courier  and  Enquirer,  244,  312, 

532 
Courrier  des  Etats  Unis,  166 
Court  House,  90,  285 
Court  House,  New,  26 
Courtney,  Mr.,  25 
Court  of  Sessions,  32 
Courts,  The,  32 
Cowell,  Joseph,  125,  501 
Cowhiding  of  a  Gentleman,  137 
Cowhiding  of  an  Editor,  465 
Cows  in  the  Streets,  60 
Cox,  Charles,  270 
Cox,  Samuel  S.,  311 


Cox's,  Dr.,  Church,  290 

Cox  &  Knock,   270 

Craig,  J.  C,  282 

Cram,  Jacob,  103 

Crane  Wharf,  125 

Cranston,  Hiram,  437 

Crassous  &  Boyd,  133 

Crawford,  Abel,  194 

Critic,  234 

Crittenden,  Hon.  J.  J.,  388 

Cropsey  &  Woglum,  251 

Crosby,  Enoch,  129,  249 

Crosby,  William  B.,  22,  273 

Cross  Street,  264 

Croton    Aqueduct,    298,  388,  392, 

452 
Croton  Aqueduct  Board,  452 
Croton  Aqueduct  Department,  32, 

290,  298,  388 
Croton  Bugs,  59 
Croton  Water,  69,  in 
Croton  Water  Celebration,  391 
Cruger,  James  C,  273 
Crystal  Palace,  488 
Cunarder,  First,  351 
Cunard  Line,  352,  436,  461,  472 
Cunard,  Samuel,  352 
Cunard  Steamers,  411,  436 
Cunningham,  Mrs.,  503 
Currency,  Fractional,  57 
Curtis,  Edward,  413 
Curtis,  Geo.  Win.,  486 
Cushman,  Miss  Charlotte,  52,  323, 

33i,   339,   354,   373,    388,   403, 

474,  49°,  5i6 
Cushman,  Misses,  388 
Custom  House,  85,  155,  181,  311, 

375,  386,  505 
Customs,  Manners,  etc.,  541 
Cutting,  Brockholst,  273 

Daguerre,  351 
Daguerreotype,  344,  351 
Daily  Advertiser,  312 
Dakin,  or  Sectional  Dock,  404 
D'Amsmont,  Mme.,  474 
Dana,  Charles  A.,  369 
"  Dandy  Cox,"  107,  181 
"  Dandy  Marx,"  445 
Da  Ponte,  Lorenzo,  277 
Darcy,  E.  A.,  282 
Dart,  159 
Davenport,  E.  L.,  421 


556 


INDEX 


Davenport,  Mrs.  J.  M.,404 

David  Street,  237 

Davis,  A.  J., 239 

Davis,  Charles  A.,   244 

Davis,  Gilbert,  331 

Davis,  Thomas  E.,  321 

Day,  Benjamin  H.,  274 

Dayton,  Abram  C,  92,  232 

"  Dead  Rabbits,"  309 

Deaf  and  Dumb  Asylum,   121 

Deaf  and  Dumb  Institute,  502,  543 

Dean,  John,  514 

Dean,  Julia,  432 

Debt,  Imprisonment  for,  Abol- 
ished, 134 

Debtors'  Prison,  26 

De  Cousse,  61 

De  Haven,  Lieutenant,  U.  S.  N.t 
460 

De  Kay,  Dr.,  267 

Delacroix,  122 

Delafield,  Joseph,  255 

Delancy  Street  Slip,  6 

Delmonico  and  Brothers,  229,  346, 
500 

Delmonico,  John,  395 

Delmonico,  Lorenzo,  395 

Delmonico's,  524 

Democratic  Meeting,  353 

Democratic  Party,  416 

Democratic  Procession,  414 

Democrats,  101,  227,  231 

Department  of  Charities  and  Cor- 
rections, 456 

Department  of  Docks,  7 

Depau,  Louis,  423 

Depau  Row,  521 

Deposits,  United  States,  Removal 
of,  279,  286,  310 

Depreciation  of  Stocks,  etc.,  390 

DeRham,  H.  C,  459 

Despatch  Line  to  Philadelphia,  239 

Devlin,  Miss,  516 

Devoe.  Thomas  F.,  115,  135 

De  Witt,  Simon,  27 

Dey  Street,  467 

"  Diamond  Wedding,"   524 

Dickens,   Charles,   276,  376,   381— 

385 
Dickens'  Dinner  and  Ball,  382 
Dickens'  Works,  339 
"  Dickey  Riker,"  32 
Dingier,  401 


Dining-room,  57,  70 

Dinner  Hour,  458,  542 

Directory,  First,  182 

Directory,  Longworth's  City,  86 

•'  Dirty  Lane,"   12 

Disbrow,  Levi,  217 

Disinterment  of  a  Female,  439 

Dispensary,  New  York,  182 

Dix,  Rev.  Dr.  Morgan,  12 

Doane,  Bishop,  269 

Docks,  7 

Dodge,  Misses,  303 

Dodge's,  541 

"  Dogberrys,"  195 

Domestic  Labor,  66,  69 

"Domestic    Life  of   Americans,' 

276 
Domestic  Preserves,  70 
Domestic  Sailing  Packets,  243 
Dominy,  Mrs.,  251 
Don  Quixote,  139 
Door  Bells,  164 
Door  Plates,  66 
Doors,  Locking  of,  66 
Dorr,  Thomas  W.,  386 
Douglass,  Frederick,  455 
Douglass,  George,  349 
Downing,  A.  J.,  465 
Downing,  Major  Jack,  244 
Downing,  Thomas,  171,  181 
"  Dragon,"  195 
Drake,  Jos.  Rodman,  104 
Drama,  Legitimate,  54 
Dramatic  Line,  322 
Draper,  Simeon,  288 
Dread,  Ferry  Boat,  85 
Dreadnought,  493,  521 
Dredging  of  Slips,   137 
Drew,  Daniel,  169,  257,  484 
Drew,  Mrs.  John,  229 
Drinks,  Price  of,  57 
Drive  for  Gentlemen,  61 
Drowning  of  a  Family,  196 
Dry  Dock  Bank,  324 
Dry-goods  Merchants'  Association, 

426 
Dry-goods  Stores,  53 
Duane  Street,  494 
Duane  Street  Market,   27 
Duel  at  Weehawken,  222 
Duelling  Ground,  223 
Duel  of  General  Andrew  lackson, 

235 


INDEX 


557 


Duels  of  Benjamin  and  Stephen 
Price,  347 

Duer,  Tohn,  408 

Duff,  Mrs.,  147 

Uugro,  Anthony,  542 

Duke  of  Calibretto,  538 

Duke  of  Newcastle,  530 

"  Duke's  House,  The,"  538 

Dundas,  Colonel,  300 

Dunham,  David,  129,  140 

Dunlap,  Thomas,  34 

Dunscomb,  E.,   237 

Dustan,  Captain  J.  K.,  429 

Dutch  Churches,  200,  212 

Dutch  Houses,  13,  164 

Dutch  Reformed  Church,  "  Mid- 
dle," 209,  212,  343 

Duties,   Extension  of  Payment  of, 

307 
Dwarf,  218 
Dwellings,  Security  of,  66 

Eagle,  298 

Earth-works,  Revolutionary,   3 

East  Broadway,  101,   254 

Easter  Bonnets,  104 

Easter  Day,  103,  213 

Easter  Eggs,  104 

Eastern  Mail,  44 

Easter  Sunday,  523 

Easton  Stage  Office,  43 

East  River,  Crossing  on  Ice,  119, 

262 
East  Side  Roughs,  348 
Eckford,    Henry,    102,    no,    157, 

189,  224,  258,  265 
Eckford,  Henry,  Estate  of,  341 
Eckford,  John,  341 
"  Eclipse,"  American,  387 
Edgar,  Mrs.,  289 
Edgar,  William,  423 
Editor,  Cowhiding  of,  465 
Edmonds,  Judge,  434 
Edward  Quesnel,  139 
Edwards,  Colonel  Monroe,  387 
Edwards,  Judge,  189,  316,  388,  420 
Eglise  du  St.  Esprit,  213 
Egyptian  Mummy,  153 
Eighth  Avenue  Railroad,  501 
"  Elbow  Street,"  12 
Eldridge,  Captain,  501 
Eldridge,    Lieut.,    U.   S.   A.,  84 
Election  Rioting,  288 


Eleventh  Street,   311 

Elgin  Estate,  176 

Elite,  Fancy  Ball,   237 

Elizabethtown  Stage  Office,  43 

Ellis  Island,  287 

Elm  Park,   22 

Elssler,  Fanny,  350,  372,  411 

Elysian    Fields,     163,     253,    255, 

422 
Emmett,  4,Dan,"  446 
Emmett,  Judge,  455 
Emmett,  Robert  M.,  377,  388 
Emmett,      Thomas     Addis,     189, 

226 
Empire,  420,  455 
Employers,  73 
"  Emporiums,"  57 
Engraved  Door  Plates,  66 
Enquirer,   The,    224,  411 
Envelopes,  Letter,  44 
Episcopal  Charity  School,  199 
Episcopal    Churches,     197,     199, 

212,  282,  308 
Episcopal  Convention.  405 
Ericsson,  Captain  John,  345,  367, 

405,  408 
Erie  Canal,  Opening  of,  etc.,   87, 

172,  431 
Essex  Market,  90 
Etna,  Bursting  of  Boiler  of,  153 
European  Travel,  44,  544 
Euterpean  Hall,  328 
Evacuation,  British.  3 
Evacuation,   Centennial  Annivers- 
ary of,  65 
Evacuation  Day,  62,  65,  mo 
Evarts,  Wm.  M.,  388 
Evening  Amusements,  126 
Evening  Post,  47,    224,    234,    255, 

300,  385 
Evening  Star,  294 
Evening  Visiting,  69 
Exchange,  29,  72 
"  Exchange  Alley,"   12 
Exchange  Bank,  49,  183 
Exchange    on    Bank-notes,  386 
Exchange  Place,  12,  31,  186,  226, 

264,  302 
Exchange  Street,  226 
Excise,  Board  of,  504 
Excise  Law,  525 
Expenditures  and  Receipts  of  City, 

101 


558 


INDEX 


Expresses,  54 
Expresses  of  Journals,  401 
"  Extras,"  54,  108 
Eyeglasses,  54 

Failure  of  Banks  in  Jersey  City,  83 

Failures,  326 

Fairy  Queen,  21 8 

Falcon,  513 

Fallon,  Mr.,  289 

False  Collars,   148 

Fancy   Ball,  Elite,  237 

Fare  Boxes,  540 

Fare  of  Cabs,  367 

Fargis,  Henry,  440 

Farm  Hand,  180 

Farragut,  Statue  of,  165 

"  Fashion,"  387,  421 

Fayette  Street,  180 

Fay,  Theodore  S.,  312 

Federalists,  101 

Feitner  Lane,  10 

Female  Cashiers,  524 

Fences,  Park  and  Battery,  34 

Fenian  Brotherhood,  505 

Ferries,  37,  39 

Ferries,  Number  of,  39 

Ferris,  Charles  G.,  412 

Ferry  Fares,  39 

Ferry,  South,  221 

Ferry  to  Hoboken,  113 

Fete  at  Castle  Garden,  154 

Fickett,  S.  &  F.,  237 

Fickett  &  Thomes,  237 

Field,  Cyrus  W.,  493,  517 

Fifth  Avenue,  108 

Fifth  Avenue  Grading,  479 

Fifth  Avenue  Hotel,  365,  518 

Fifth  Ward  Hotel,  469 

Figure-head,  Removal  of,  303 

Fillmore,  President  M.,  470 

Finance  Department,  452 

Financial  Distress,  370,  505,  531 

<l  Finish,  The,"  235 

Finlay,  J.  Beekman,  472 

Fire  Alarm,  536 

Fire  Alarm  Bell,  264,  286,  477 

Fire  and  Marine  Insurance  Com- 
pany, 49 

Fire  Buckets,  417,  536 

Fire  Department,  145,  391,  452, 
.530,  535,   53^ 

Fire  Department,  Display  of,  113 


"  Fire-eater,"  279 
Fire-engines,  498,  532,  535,  536 
Fire-engines,       New      York     and 

Philadelphia,  294 
Fire-engines  Nos.  8  and  25,  150 
Fire-engines,  Running  of,  119 
Fire  in  Front  Street,  344 
Fire  in  Fulton,  South,  and  Front 

Streets,  119 
Fire  in  Fulton  Street,  298 
Fire  in  Houston  and  First  Streets, 

.3*3. 

Fire     in     Spring,     Sullivan,    and 

Thompson  Streets,  166 
Fire  Island,  152 
Firemen,  43,  497 
Firemen's  Monument  Association, 

441 
Firemen's  Parade,  29 
Fires,  444 

Fires,  In  Case  of,  32 
Fires,  Three  Extensive,  256 
Firewood,  Scarcity  of,  40 
Fireworks,  545 
Firing  of  Buildings,  241 
Fish,  Colonel  Nicholas,  154,  274 
Fisher,  Clara,  52,  220,  496 
Fish,  Hamilton,  295 
Fishing  Banks,  412 
Fish  in  the  Rivers,  48 
Fish  Market,  278 
Fish  &  Grinnell,  139,  344 
Fisk  &  Gould,  484 
Fitzroy  Road,  9 
"  Five  Mile  House,"  541 
Five   Points    House    of    Industry, 

493 
"Five  Points"   Mission,  84.   376, 

465,  486 
"  Five  Points  Riot,"  298,  510 
"  Flat  and  Barrack  Hill,"  12 
Floating  Fire-engine,  85 
Floating  Light,  131,  147 
Floating  Theatre,  419 
Flogobombos,  240 
"  Flora  Temple,"  283,  411 
Florence,  Mrs.  Win.  J.,  442 
Florists,  104,  285 
Flour,  Per  Barrel,  114 
Flour  Riot,  326 
Flowers  in  City  Hall  Park,  134 
Fly    Market,    27,    114,    119,    138, 

I4L  295 


INDEX 


559 


Flynn,  Mrs.,  412 

Flynn,  Thomas,  322 

Flynn  &  Willard,  344 

Foley,  Mr.,  261 

Food  for  the  Poor,  505 

Football  and   the  "  Hollow,"  81, 

82,  116 
Foot  Stoves,  116 
Forbes,  Messrs.,  425 
Foreign  Postal  Arrangements,  44 
Foreign  Steamer,  Boarding  of,  402 
Forrest,     Edwin,     52,     186,     230, 

232,   241,   259,   290,    331,    452, 

461,  474,  479 
Forsyth,  Lieut.-Col.,  U.  S.  A.,  84 
Fort  Clinton,  18,  530 
Fort  George,  154 
Fort  Lee,  253 
"  Forty-niners,"  450 
"  Forty  Thieves,"  487 
Foster,  Stephen  C,  447 
Fountains  in    Union    Square   and 

City  Hall  Park,  392 
"  Four-Cent  Man,"  477 
Fourier,  Charles,  407 
"  Fourierites,"  410 
Fourteenth  Ward,  218 
Fourth  Avenue,  324 
Fourth  Avenue  Railroad  Tunnel, 

331 
Fourth  of  July,  62,  93,  150,  544 
Fourth   Street   and  Sixth  Avenue 

Opened,  90 
Fox,  Caroline,  319 
Fox,  C.  K.  &  G.  L.,  489 
Fox  Family  and  Sisters,  445 
Fox,  Geo.  L.,  517 
Fox,  Killing  of,   118 
Fox  &  Livingston,  133 
Fracas  at  Cato's,  313 
Fracas  at  Washington  Hall,  313 
Fractional  Currency,  57 
Francis,  Dr.  James  R.,  298 
Francis,  Joseph,  415 
Franconi's  Hippodrome,  487 
Franklin  Hank,  193 
Franklin  House,  28,   225 
Franklin,  Lady,  529 
Franklin  Market,  27,  130,  295 
Franklin,  Morris,  409 
Franklin,  Sir  John,  460,  529 
Franklin  Square,  86 
Franklin  Street,  78,  272 


Franklin,  Thomas,  113 

Freeborn,  Pilot,  426 

Free  Enquirer \  The,  236 

Frelinghuysen,  414 

French  Benevolent  Society,  194 

French  Church,  213,  343 

French  Opera,  231 

French  Opera  Company,  231 

French  Spoliation,  303 

French  Tanyards,  223 

Friends'  Meeting-houses,  210 

Frost  in  July,  78 

Fruits,  54 

Fuel,  65,  96 

Fulton,  43 

Fulton  Ferryboats,  39 

Fulton  Market,  119,  125 

Fulton,  Robert,  54,  105,  241 

Fulton  Street,  285,  288 

Fulton,  U.  S.  S.  Frigate,  240,  342, 

390 
Fur  Caps,  181 
Furnaces,  65 

Gallatin,  Albert,  255,  412,  456 

Gambling,  103 

Game,  61,  108,  223,  237 

Game  and  Sportsmen,  108 

Gannon,  Mary,  295 

Gansevoort  Street,  9 

Garcia,  Signorina,  175 

Garcia  Troupe,  174 

Garden  Street,  12,  186 

Garden  Street  Free  School,  203 

Gardiner,  Daniel,  40S 

Garrison,  411 

Gas,  First  in  a  Theatre,  191 

Gas,  Illuminating,  54,  66,  138, 
166 

Gas  Lamp,  Street,  523 

Gas  Pipes,  Laying  of,  161,  168 

Gedney,  Lieut.,  U.  S.  N.,  342 

General  Bankrupt  Law,  385 

General  Jackson,  256 

General  Theological  Seminary, 
190,  261 

Genet,  Pauline,  502 

Gentlemen,  54 

Gentlemen  and  Ladies'  Dining- 
rooms,  57 

Gentlemen's  Dress,  75 

German  Opera,  502 

German  Orchestra,  444 


56° 


INDEX 


German  Reformed  Church,  201 

Germans,  91,  379 

Gerry,  James,  61 

Gibbons,  Mr.  (the  elder),  54 

Gibbons,  William,  170,  240,  421 

Gibbs,  Mr.,  17 

Gihon,  John,  273 

Gilbert,  John,  341,  457 

Gilbert,  or  Balance,  Dock,  404 

"Gil  Bias,"  383 

Gilfert,  Charles,  191,  230 

Gilfert,  Mrs. ,  230 

Gilford,  Samuel,  308 

Gillingham,  Miss  Ellen,  74 

Gilman,  Wm,  C,  401 

Gimcrack,  413 

"  Gingerbread  Man,"  321,  466 

Ginger  Pop,  58 

"Gin  Mill,"  235 

Glass  Furnace,  11 

Glass  House  Point,  II,  152 

Glazier,  Geo.  G.,  391 

Glenn,  Anthony,  249 

Glentworth,  I.  B.,  379 

Glidden,  George  R.,  330,  389 

Glover,  Messrs.,  367 

Glue  Factory,  15 

Goatees  and  Beards,  69 

Godwin,  Parke,  410,  486 

Goodwin,  Robert  M.,  104 

Goelet,   Peter,  418 

Gold,  Discovery  of,  443 

Golden  Hill,  1,  2 

Gold  Street,  2,  285 

Goodhue  &  Co.,  44,  286,  322 

Good  Shepherd,  House  of,  521 

Gothic  Hall,  188 

Gough,  John  B.,  425 

Gould  and  Fisk,  484 

Gouverneur  Market,  27 

Gouverneur,  Samuel  L.,   249,  257 

Governor's  Island,  18 

Governors    of    Almshouse,    Board 

of,  542 
Gowanus  Bay,  17,  303 
Grace  Church,  425,  426 
Gracie  House,  109 
Grade,  William,  308 
Graham,  436 
Graham,  Bernard,  179 
Graham,  Charles,  349 
Graham,  David,  377,  420 
Graham,  Wm.  (',.,  Duel  of,  223 


Gramercy  Park,  15,  366,  426 

Grand  Island,  173 

Grand  Krout,  278 

Grand  Market  Place,  27 

Grand  Street  Ferry,  39 

Grand  Street  Slip,  6 

Granger,  Francis,  187 

Granite  Balls,  218 

Grapeshot,  499 

Great  Britain,  424 

Great  Eastern,  529 

Great  Fire  of  December,  1835,  306 

Great  Fire  of  1845,  423 

Great  Gale,  140,  426 

Great  Kill  Road,  9,  10 

Greek  Ball,  150,  215 

"Greek  Committee,"  216 

Greek  Fund  Ball,  215 

Greeley,  H.,  &  Co.,  349 

Greeley,    Horace,    275,   331,    368, 

407,  410,  415,  442 
Green,  Duff,  244 
Green,  John  C,  91 
Greenport,  542 
Greenwich  Lane,  10 
Greenwich  Market,  27,  296 
Greenwich  Savings  Bank,  273,  327 
Greenwich  Stages,  39 
Greenwich  Street  Theatre,  50 
Greenwich  Theatre,  431 
Greenwich  Village,  6 
Griffin,  George,  321 
Grinnell,  Henry,  460,  485 
Grinnell,    Minturn    &    Co.,    148, 

427,  445,  471 
Grinnell,  Moses  H.,  273 
Griscom,  Dr.  John,  165 
Grisi,  494 

Grisi  and  Mario,  185 
Griswold,  John,  139 
Griswold,  N.  L.  &  G.,  470,  471 
Grocers  and  Auctioneers,  121 
Grocery  Stores,  61 
Grouse,  Shooting  of,  261 
Grove  Street,  237,  311 
Guerin,  Francis,  53 
Guille,  Ascension  of,  103 
Gulick,  James,  313,  314 
Gunther,  C.  Godfrey,  542 

Hackensack,  538 

Hackett,  James  H.,  92,   185,   186, 
233,  240,  278,  354,  494 


INDEX 


56l 


Hackett,     Mrs.    James    H.,    174, 

185 
Hack  Fares,  215 
Hacks,  Lighting  of,  185 
Haggerty,  John,  312 
Hair-cutting,  Anatomical,  57 
Hale  &  Halleck,  224 
Hale,  James  W.,  330 
Hale,  Nathan,  3,  4,  22 
Hall,  Alderman,  267 
Hall,  A.  Oakey,  504 
Hall,  Charles,  167 
Hall,  Charles  Henry,  242 
Halleck,  FitzGreene,  170,  262,  298, 

•457 

Hallett's  Point,  30,  34 

Hall,  Francis,  47 

Hall,  J.  Prescott,  398 

Hall  of  Records  or  Old  Jail,  26, 
264 

Hall's  (Asa)  Stages,  39,  229,  539 

Hall  Stoves  and  Furnaces,  65,  116 

Hamblin,  Mrs.,  319 

Hamblin,  Thomas  S.,  173,  191, 
246,  290,  319,  323,  325,  341, 
442,   444,   454,   457,   487,    534, 

535 
Hamburg- American    Packet    Co., 

435 
Hamilton,    Gen.    Alexander,    223, 

320 
Hamilton  House,  264 
Hamilton,  John  C,  214 
Hamilton,  "  Nigger,"  490-492 
Hamilton  Square,  180 
Hamilton  Street,  220 
Hand-bills,  Inflammatory,  316 
Hand  Organs,  113 
Hankins'  Barroom,  28 
Hanover  Street,  264 
Hansoms,  54 
Harbor  Police,  480 
Hard  Cider,  349 
"  Hard  Shells,"  543 
Harlem,  6,  14,  269,  459 
Harlem  Bridge,  7 
Harlem  Canal,  188,  231 
Harlem  Creek,  16 
Harlem,     First     Pavement     of    a 

Street,  269 
Harlem  Lane,  8,  10 
Harlem  Road,  9 
Harlem  R.  R.,  441,  518 


Harlem  Stage,  39 
Harmonical  Society,  465 
Harmon  Street,  13,  101,  254 
Harmony,  Peter  &  Co.,  179 
Harnden,  William  F.,  330 
Harpendingh,  John,  2 
Harper  &  Brothers,  86,  100,  492 
Harper,  Fletcher,  418,  419 
Harper,  James,  340,  401,  409,  420 
Harpers,  John  and  James,  86,  100 
Harrington,  George  Christy,  446 
Harrington,  William  ("  Bill  "),  98,. 

270,  355 
Harris,  Arnold,  448 
Harrs,  Captain,  159 
Harrison,    General    William    H., 

332,  342,  349,  370 
Harsen,  Jacob,  283 
Harsen  Road,  10 
Harsen's,  Jacob,  House,  325 
Harsenville,  6 
Hart  &  Co.,  Eli,  326 
Hatfield,  Alderman,  378,  387 
Havana  Opera  Company,  438,  462 
Havemeyer,  William  F.,  418,  420, 

43 1,  450 
Havre  Line  of  Packets,   133,  148, 

227,  269 
Hawk  and  Buzzard,  293 
Hays,  Jacob,  31,  316,  324 
"  Hazard's,"  541 
Hazard,  Samuel,  102 
Head    over    Window    in    Walton 

House,  380 
Hecksher,  Charles  A.,  273 
"  Hector,"  215 
Hegeman,  336 
Hell  Gate,  30,  124,  480 
Hell  Gate  Ferry,  430 
Hell  Gate  Lane,  8 
"  Hell's  Kitchen,"  309 
Hendricks,  Harmon,  214 
Henry,  Chauncey,  441 
Henry  Clay,  427,  479 
Henry  Street,  221,  237 
Henshaw,  Caroline,  377 
Herald  Building,  152,  160 
Herald,   The,   224,   295,  312,  348, 

376,    385,    399.   4o6,   411,    4I5> 

418,  419,  421 
Her  /nan  n,  448 
Herrick  &  Co.,  S.  H.,  326 
Herring,  Fanny,  517 


562 


INDEX 


Herring  Street,  237 

Herschell,  Sir  J.  F.  W„  304 

Hester  Street,  166 

Hewlett  (colored),  185 

Hey  ward,  Mr.,  373 

"  Hicksites,"  225 

Hicksville,  542 

Higbee,  Rev.  Dr.  E.  Y.,  213 

Highlander^  433 

Hill,  George  H.,  259 

Hilson,  Thomas,  147 

Himes,  Joshua  V.,  281 

Hippodrome,  Franconi's,  365 

Hoar,  Senator,  483 

Hobo  ken,  133 

Hoboken,  253,  538 

Hoe,  Richard  M.,  296 

Hoey,  Mrs.  John,  371 

Hoffman,    Charles     Fenno,     221, 

271,   29S 
Hoffman,  Murray,  189 
Hoffman,  Rev.  Dr.  E.  A.,  190 
Hogg,  Thomas,  285 
Hogs  in  the  Streets,  86,  130 
Hohenlohe,  Rev.  Prince,  163 
Holland,  George,  221 
44  Hollow  "at  the  Battery,  81 
Holman,  Mrs.,  125 
Holt,  Mrs.,  275 
Holt,  Stephen,  275 
'*  Holy  Light,"  211 
41  Home,"  541 
Home  Comforts,  69 
Home  Life,  542 
Hook  and  Ladders,   Fire-engines, 

Hose-carts,  150 
Hope,  Frigate,  157 
Hopkins,  Bishop,  269 
Horn,  Charles  E.,  223 
Home,  Dr.,  458 
Horseback  Riding,  90 
Horse  Boats,  39,  84 
Horse  Market,  87 
Horse-race  Challenge,  140 
Horse  Stables,  521-522 
Hosack,  Dr.  David,  176,  228,  308 
Hoskin,  Capt.  (Lieut.  R.  N.),  335, 

406,  415 
Hospital,  New  York,  29 
Hotels,  Principal,  28,  224 
I  [ours  of  Labor,  466 
House  of  Refuge,  165,  336,  493 
Houses,  Dwellings,  34,  323 


Housman,  Mrs.,  420 

Howard,  Cordelia,  489,  493 

Howard,  Harry,  516 

Howard,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  C,  489 

Howard  Street,  166 

Howard,  White,  195 

Howland  &  Aspinwall,  428,  470 

Howland,  G.  G.  &  S.  S.,  157 

Howland,  S.  S.,  273 

Howlett  &  Saul,  480 

Hoxie,  Joseph,  319 

Hoyt,  Gould,  273 

Hoyt,  Jesse,  403 

Hudson  River  Line,  167 

Hume,  David  D.,  445 

"  Hunkers,"  543 

Hyer,  "  Tom,"  355 

"  Hypnotism,"  467 

Ice,  59 

Ice  Blockade  of  the  River,  40 
Ice-boxes,  339 

Ice  Cream  and  Water  Ices,  59 
Illuminating  Gas,  54,  166,  191 
Illumination  in  Theatres,  333 
Illustrated  Papers,  54 
Immigrant  Depot,  498 
Imprisonment  for  Debt,  73,  134 
Indemnity  Bill,  303 
Independence,  427 
India,  Advices  from,  91 
India-rubber  Overshoes,  244 
Ingraham,  Daniel  P.,  179 
Inman  Line,  460 
Inspectors  of  Election,  34 
Installation  of  Mayor,  288 
Institute  for  the  Blind,  339 
Insurance  Companies,  Failure  of, 

183 
Insurance    Companies,    Fire    and 

Marine,  49 
Interment  of  Human  Bodies,  138 
Irish,  379 
Irish  Famine,  432 
Irving,  Washington,  236,  266,  295, 

383,  468,  474 
Isabella  Grapevine,  17 
Isherwood,  Mrs.,  451 
Island  of  Manhattan,  221 
"  Islands,  The,"  194 
Italian  Opera,  494 

Jackson,  Daniel,  349 
Jackson,  "  Moccasin,"  132 


INDEX 


563 


Jackson,  Gen.  Andrew,  101,  222, 
227,  231,  235,  244,  258,  274, 
279,  290,  303,  310 

"  Jackson  or  Jackass,"  310 

Jackson,  Thomas  M.,  181,  252 

"Jacob's  Well."  158 

Jaffrey,  E.  S.  &  Co.,  346 

Jagger,  Jehiel,  283 

"Jail  Liberties,"  73,  151 

Jail  or  Debtor's  Prison,  26,  73,  264 

James  Kent,  140 

Japanese  Embassy,  528 

Jauncey  Lane,  10,  22 

Jauncey,  Miss,  22 

Jay,  John  C,  423 

Jay,  Peter  A.,  189,  402 

Jefferson  Insurance  Co.,  193 

Jefferson,  Joseph,  Jr.,  160,  520 

Jefferson  Market,  264,  285 

Jefferson,  Thomas,  257 

Jennings,  Chester,  92,  224 

Jennings  &  Co.,  493 

Jerome  Park  Association,  144 

Jewett,  Helen,  319 

Jews'  Graveyards,  21 1 

Jews'  Synagogue,  211 

"  Jim  Crow,"  269 

Jocelyn,  Lord,  300 

Jockey  Club,  282 

Johanssen.  Mme.,  502 

Johnson,  Col.  Wm.   R.,  136,  143, 

M5,  387 
Johnson,  Miss,  123 
Johnson's  Stables,  511 
Johnson's    Trial    and    Execution, 

14S,  152 
John  Street,  2,  284,  311 
John  Street  Church,  99 
John  Street  Theatre,  50 
Joinville,  Prince  de,  and   Dinner, 

375 
Jones,  Evan,  215 
Jones,  George,  254 
Jones,  John  Q.,  418 
Jones,  Walter  R.,  385 
Jones'  Wood,  468 
Josephs,  I.  L.  &  J.  S.  &  Co.,  321, 

326 
Judges,  Appointment  of,  32 
Judges    of    Superior   and    Circuit 

Court,  32 
Judson,  E.  Z.  C.  (Ned  Buntline), 

454 


Julia,  499 
Jullien,  Louis,  489 
Jumel,  Mme.,  278 
Jumel,  Stephen,  274 
Juvenile  Delinquents,  165 

Kamschatka,  397 

Kane,  Elisha  K.,  486 

Kean,  Charles,  52,  245,   320,   343, 

496 
Kean,  Edmund,  52,  114,  174 
Kearney,    Commodore  Lawrence, 

U.  S.  N.,  131 
Kearney,  Philip,  U.  S.  A.,  436 
Keene,  Laura,  495,  517,  520 
Keene's,  Laura,  Varieties,  495 
Kelly,  Eugene,  432 
Kelly  &  Leon's  Minstrels,  448 
Kelly,  Miss,  222,  496 
Kemble,  Charles,  52,  268,  496 
Kemble,    Frances,    52,    232,    268, 

295,  320,  496 
Kemble,  Gouverneur,  30 
Kennedy  House,  55 
Kennedy,  Robert  L.,  91 
Kennon,   Captain   Beverly,   U.  S. 

X.,  408 
"  Kensington,"  124,  245 
Kent,  Chancellor,  439 
Kent,  Judge,  387 
Kerr,  George,  440 
Keying,  442 
Kill,  Great,  Road,  9 
Kill,  Old,  Road,  9 
Kill  von  Kull,  287 
Kindling-wood,  54 
King,  Charles,  110 
King,  Elisha  W.,  308 
King,  John  A.,  273,  506 
King  &  Mead,  53 
King,  Mrs.  John  A.,  30 
Kingsbridge,  49,  541 
Kingsbridge,  Old,  Road,  8,  11 
King's  College,  28 
Kingsland,  A.  C,  450,  468,  47- 
Kipp   &    Brown,    234,    273,    441, 

539 
Kip's  Bay,  14,  17,  21 
Kip's  House,  27 
Kirk,  George,  434 
Kissam,  Dr.,  273 
Statue,  488 
Kite-flying,  104 


564 


INDEX 


Knickerbocker  Magazine,  271 
Knight,  Mrs.,  192 
Knocker,  Old-time,  400 
Knowles,  James  Sheridan,  290 
Korponay,  413 
Kossuth,  Louis,  474 
Krout  Club,  62,  278 
Kyle,  Alexander,  494 

Laborers,  316 

Ladies'  Dining-rooms,  57 

Ladies'  Dress,  75 

Ladies'  Dresses  Soiled,  88 

Ladies'  Home  Missionary  Society, 

376 
Lady,  54 

Lady  Clinton,  171 
"  Lady  Relief,"  282 
Lady  Van  Rensselaer,  172 
Lafarge  House,  492,  495 
Lafayette,  Marquis  de  la,  153,  172, 

289 
Lafayette    Place,    192,    222,   296, 

3ii 
Lafayette  Theatre,   160,  173,  188, 

222,  239,  241 
Lagrange,  Mme.,  500 
Laird,  Samuel,  421 
Lake  Tour  Road,  9 
Lambert,  Daniel  R.,  171 
Lamp-posts,  166 
Lamps,  333 

Lane,  Miss  Louisa,  229 
Lanes,  7 

Lang  &  Turner,  47 
Lardner,  Dionysius,  378 
Latta,  A.  B.,  497 
"Latter  Day  Saints,"  249 
Lattin^  Observatory,  502 
Launitz,  Robert  E.,  441 
"  Laurie  Todd,"  297 
Law  Department,  452 
Law,  George,  433,  499 
Lawrence,  Abraham  R.,  478 
Lawrence,  Captain  James,   U.   S. 

X.,  416 
Lawrence,  Cornelius  \V.,  285,  287, 

3ii,  349 
Lawrence,  John,  283 
Lawrence,  John  L.,  392 
Lawrence  &  Sneden,  237 
Laws' m,  James,  265 
Lead  Works,  1 10 


Leake  Dole  of  Bread,  200 

Leake  &  Watts  Orphan  Asylum, 

263 
Leake  &  Watts  Orphan  Home,  406 
Leather  Stocking  Series,  130 
Lebanon  Springs,  194 
Lecture  Room,  160 
Leggett,  Samuel,  138,  161 
Leggett,  William,    102,   230,    234, 

300 
Legislator,  170,  172 
Lee,  Capt.  WTilliam,  132 
Lee,  Gideon,  264,   285,  301,   349, 

373 
Lee,  Robert  E.,  433 
Leesugg,  Miss,  92 
Leland  Brothers,  48 1 
Lenox,  Robert,  344 
Lenox,  James,  204 
Lent,  102,  213 
Le  Roy,  Bayard  &  Co.,  157 
Leslie,  Frank,  511 
Letter-bags,  44 
Letter-boxes,  Drop,  54 
Letter  Postages,  44 
Lewis,  Gen.  Morgan,  154,  255 
Lexington  Avenue,  284 
Lexington  Burned,  346 
Liberator,  Frigate,  157 
"  Liberty  Boys,"  2 
Liberty  Pole,  294 
Liberty  Street,  224,  294,  478 
Licensing  of  Brothels,  292 
Liederkraijz,  German,  437 
Life-preservers,  132 
Lighting  of  Theatres,   Dwellings, 

etc.,  333 
Light-ship  at  Sandy  Hook,  131 
Lights,  Procuring  of,  66,  251 
Lilly,  390 

"  Limekiln  Man,"  321,  426 
Lincoln,  Abraham,  531 
Lind,  Jenny,  18,  463-465 
Lingard,  G.,  489 
Lingard,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.,  489 
Li  mucus,  167 
Lispenard's  Meadows,  7,   16,  108, 

203 
Lithography,  192 
Littlefield,  John,  490 
Little  Water  Street.  264 
Liverpool     and      Havre     Packets, 

Tonnage  of,  139 


INDEX 


565 


Liverpool,  New  York  &  Philadel- 
phia Steamship  Co.,  460 
Liverpool  Packet,  Loss  of,  132 
Liverpool  Packets,  45,   286,    335, 

437 

Liverpool  Passages,  90,  286 
Liverpool  to  Boston,  Passages  of, 

38i 
Livingston,  Chancellor ,  256 
Livingston  House,  55 
Livingston,  Mortimer,  273 
Livingston,  Robert  R.,  108,  241 
Livonia,  473 
Lize,  271,  355 
Local  Travel,  36 
Locke,  Richard  A.,  303 
*'  Loco  Foco's,"  312 
"Loco  Foco  "  Party,  301,  312 
Locomotive,  First,  240,  253 
Log  Cabin,  349 
Lombardy  Street,  254 
London    and    Liverpool     Packets, 

139-  237,  411 
Long  Island  Railroad,  413,  542 
Long    Island    Sound    Closed,    90, 

312 
Long,  James,  387 
Looking-glass  Curtain,  147 
Lookout  Station,  47 
Lorillard,  George,  403 
Lorillard,  Jacob,  403 
Lorillard,  Peter,  169,  202,  403 
Lotteries,  112,  121,  275 
Lots,  Sale  of,  390 
Lovejoy's,  62 

<4  Love  Lane,"  8,  10,  61,  190 
Lover,  Samuel,  438 
Lovett,  John,  28 
Low,  A.  A.  &  Brother,  470 
Low's  Lane,  10 
Luce,  Capt.  S.  B.,  495 
Ludlow,  Dr. ,  290 
Ludlow,  Lieut.,  U.  S.  N.,  84 
Lutheran  Church,  100,  202 
Lynch,  Dominick,  178,  328 
Lynch,  James,  542 
Lynch,  Lieut.,  385,  390 
Lynch,  Mrs.,  34 
Lynde,   171 

Mackenzie,   Comd'r  A.  S.,    U.  S. 

N.,  397-398 
Mackenzie,  W.  L.,  425 


"  Mackerelville,"  309 
Macomb,  Maj.-Gen.,  121,  394 
Macomb's  Dam,  78-79,  115,  333 
Macready,  Win,  C,  190,  442,  452, 

455 
Madison  Square,  7,  14,    138..    165, 

336,  410,  416 
Madison  Square  Church,  487 
Madison  Street,  13 
Maeder,  Mrs.,  52,  220,  328 
Maiden  Lane,  138,  215,  311 
Maiden  Lane  Slip,  6 
Mail  Coaches,  43 
Maillefert,  481 
Mail  Stage,   Overturning  of,   113, 

126 
Mail  Steamers,  U.  S.,  448 
"  Maine  Law,"  525 
Malapar,  Antoine,  193 
Malibran,  Eugene,  175,  222 
Malibran,    Mme.,    175,    191,    215, 

222 
Man,  59,  75 

Manhattan  Bank,  36,  49,  90 
Manhattan  Co.,  36 
Manhattan  Co.,  Capacity  of,  140 
Manhattan  Gas  Light  Co.,  252 
Manhattan  Island,  6,  221 
Manhattan  Market,  221 
Manhattan  Reservoir,  37 
Manhattanville,   6,  459 
Manhattan  Water,  337 
Manicure,  490 
Man  Millinery,  263 
Manning,  John,  30 
Mansion  House,  121,  224,  394 
Manumission  Society,  78 
Map,  Commissioners  of  the  City, 

11 
Maple  Sugar,  108 
Map  of  New  York  of  1785,  507 
Marble,  Danforth,  254 
Marble  Houses,  179 
Marble  Manufacturing  Co.,  193 
Marcellus,  Rev.  Mr.,  135 
Marco  Bozzaris,  183 
Marcy,  Wm.  L.,  499 
Maretzek,    Max,    439,    462,    465, 

489,  500 
Marine  and  Fire  Insurance  Com- 
panies, 49 
Marine  Hospital,  513 
Marine  Journal,  278 


;66 


INDEX 


Marine  Pavilion  at  Rockaway,  273 

Marine  Railway,  151,  291 

Mariners'  Church,  21 1 

Marine  Telegraph,  218 

Mario,  494 

Mario  and  Grisi,  185 

Marion   Street   Theatre  (colored), 

162 
Market  Butchers,  378 
Marketfield  Street,  243 
Marketing,  61,  325,  386 
Marketing,  Prices  of,  96 
Market  Laws,  378 
Market  Quotations,  385 
Markets,  27,  378 
Market  Slip,  6 
Markets,  Number  of,  285 
Market  Street,  6,  254 
Marquand,  F.,  139 
Marshall,  Benjamin,  44 
Marshall,   Charles  H.   &  Co.,  44, 

322,  454  ' 

Marshall,  John,  539-540 
Marshall,  Miss  Polly,  517 
Marshall,  Thos.  F.,  388,  396 
Marsh,  Henry,  154 
Martineau,  Miss  Harriet,  317 
Marx,  Henry  C,  441 
Masked  and  Fancy  Ball,  237,  406 
Masonic  Hall,  186,  188 
Masonic  Lodges,  188 
Mason,  James,  232 
Mason,  Mrs.,  52 
Mason,  Rev.  Dr.,  245 
Masons,  Free,  188 
Massachusetts,  381,  425 
"Massacre  Place  "  Opera  House, 

454 
Masseurs,  490 
Matches,  251 
Matilda,  Barge,  172 
Matinee,  First,  220 
Matsell,  Geo.  W.,  423,  506-509 
Matthews,  Charles,  136,  338,  496 
Matthews,  J.  M.,  D.  D.,  255 
Matthews,  Mrs.,  338 
Maxcy,  Virgil,  408 
Maxwell,  Capt.,  171 
Maxwell,  Hugh,  189,  224 
Maxwell,  Wm.,  223 
Mayoralty  Flection,  First,  287 
Mayor,  Appointment  of,  138 
Mayor,  Flection  of,  32 


Mayor,  Installation  of,  288 

McCaffrey,  Dr.,  298 

McClintock,  529 

McCoskry,  Bishop,  428 

McCoun,  Wm.  T.,  124 

McCoy,  390 

McElrath,  Thomas,  349 

McEvers,  Bache,  214 

McGowan's  Pass,  II,  182,  268 

Mcllvaine,  Bishop,  269 

McKay,  Donald,  471 

McKim,  407 

McKim,  William,  282 

McLaughlin,  "  Paudeen,"  498 

McLeod,  Rev.  John  N.,  27 

McLeod,  Wm.  E.,  223,  236 

McNeven,  Dr.  Wm.  J.,  372 

McQueen,  Robert,  53 

Mead,  etc.,  58 

Meadowbank,  Lord,  137 

Meals,  Hours  of,  70 

Meats  and  Fish,  386 

Mechanics  and  Tradesmen,  Gen- 
eral Society  of,  502 

Mechanics'  Bank,  49 

Mechanics'  Hall,  446 

Mediums,  445 

Meerschaum,  544 

Meeting  in  City  Hall  Park,  286, 
299 

Meeting  in  Tammany  Hall,  249, 
418 

Meeting  in  the  Exchange,  286 

Meeting  of  Merchants,  239,  266, 
286,  326 

Meeting  of  Workmen.  325 

Melchior,  James  C,  166 

Men's  and  Boys'  Clothing,  74,  181 

Men's   Dress,  74-76,  14S 

Mercantile  Advertiser,  47 

Mercantile  Library,  118,  476,  493 

Merchandise,  Transportation  of  to 
Pittsburgh,  134 

Merchants'  Rank,  49,  274 

Merchants'  Exchange,  44,  131, 
138,  166,  186,  218,  226,  375 

Merchants'  Express  Co.,  212 

Merchants'   Telegraph,  233 

Merchant  Tailors,  57,  77 

Mermaid,  400 

Mesier,  Peter  A.,  439 

"  Mesmerism,"  467 

Messenger  Boys,  54 


INDEX 


567 


Mestayer,  Emily,  57 
Mestayer,  H.,  405 
Methodist  Book  Concern,  318 
Methodist  Church,  John  Street,  99 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  206, 

376 
Metropolitan  Hall,  242,  474,  481, 

492 
Metropolitan  Opera  House,  495 
Metropolitan  Police,  511,  531 
Metropolitan    Police  Department, 

505,  5io 
Mexican  Victories,  435 
Mexican  War,  428 
Mexico,  Painting  of  City  of,  32 
Mickle,  Andrew  H.,  418,  431 
"Middle"  Reformed  Dutch 

Church,  209,  415,418 
Middle  Road,  7,  165 
Mileage,  442 
Milestones,  356 
Military  Ball,  150 
Military  Officers,  Election  of,  134 
Military  Parade,  Fourth  of  July,  62 
Military  Reviewed,  62 
Milk,  Pure,  54,  60 
Miller,  Charles,  423 
"  Millerite  Craze,"  280 
Millerites,  281 

Miller,  William,  280-281,  423 
Mill  Rock,  118 

Milnor,  Rev.  Dr.  James,  212,  421 
Minell,  James,  283 
Minetta  Lane,  10,  15 
Minetta  Stream,  10,  14 
Ming,  Alexander,  Jr.,  300 
"  Mining  Companies,"  450 
Mint  Juleps,  192 
Minturn,  Edward,  251 
Mirror,  Weekly,  139 
Mississippi,  U.  S.  Frigate,  475 
Missouri,  U.  S.  Frigate,  390 
Mitchell,  Samuel  L.,  M.  D.,  126, 

172,  240,  259 
Mitchell's  Olympic  Theatre,   221, 

345 
Mitchell,  William,  322 
"  Mock  Auctions,"  393,  395 
Mohawk  and  Hudson  River  Rail- 
road, 257 
Moloney,  P.  G.,  542 
Monk,  Maria,  312 
Monmouth,  43 


Monnot,  J.  B.,  437 

Monplaisir,  Mme. ,  444 

Monroe,  Ex-President,  249,  257 

Monroe,  James,  249 

Monroe  Market,  311 

Monroe  Street,  254 

Montague  Garden,  50 

Montez,  Lola,  476 

Montgomery,     General     Richard, 

100 
Montgomery,  Mrs.,  100 
Monument  Lane,  10 
"  Moon  Hoax,"  305 
Moore,  Clement  C,  190,  262,  341 
Moore,    Rt.    Rev.    Benjamin,    82,. 

191,  246,  262 
Moravian  Church,  21 1 
Morgan,  E.  D.,  471 
Morgan,  E.  E.  &  Sons,  330 
Morgan  Line,  493 
Morgan,  William,  187 
Mormons,  Book  of,  249 
Morning  Courier,  265 
Morning  Courier  and  Nezj  York 

Enquirer^  240 
Morning  Herald,  295 
Morning  Post,  The,  275 
Morris,  436 

Morris  Brothers'  Minstrels,  448 
Morris  Canal  Stock,  293 
Morris,  Captain  Charles,  U.  S.  NM 

172 
Morris,  George  P.,  139,  186,  392 
Morris,  Gouverneur,  27 
Morrison,  John  C,  152 
Morris,  Robert  H.,  373,  381,  401 
Morris,  Roger,  Home,  274 
Morrissey,  John,  355 
Morris  Street,  237 
Morse,  Richard  C,  113 
Morse,  Samuel   F.    B.,   296,    372, 

402 
Morse,  Sidney  E.,  113 
Mortier,  Paymaster-General,  97 
Morns  Multicairiis,  297,  336 
"  Mose,"  271,  355 
Mott,    Dr.    and     Mrs.     Valentine, 

126,  375 
Mott,  Miss  Lucretia,  374 
Mount  Pitt,  14 
Mount  Pitt  Circus,  188,  234 
Mount  Sinai  Hospital,  473 
Mount  Vernon,  124 


568 


:ndex 


Mount  Washington,  194 

Moustache,  73,  330 

Mowatt  Brothers,  167 

Movvatt,  Mrs.  AnnaC.,  419,422 

Muffs,  Ladies',  75 

Muhlenberg,  Dr.  W.  A.,  430,  488 

"  Mulberry  Bend,"  376 

Mum  ford,  John  I.,  233 

Mummy,  Egyptian,  153 

Municipal  Department,  487,  535 

Municipal  Election,  452 

Municipal  Laws,  Revision  of,  245 

Municipal  Police,  531 

Munson,  Reuben,  no 

Murphy's  Stables,  443 

Murray  Hill,  21,  176,  291 

Murray  House,  21,  291 

Murray,  James,  148 

Murray,  Robert,  258 

Murray's,  Mrs.,  Madeira,  3 

Murray  Street,   corner  Broadway, 

58 
Mutiny    on    Board    U.     S.     Brig 

Somers,  397 

Mutual  Life  Insurance  Co.,  415 

Mutnel  Pools,  144 

Names  of  Streets,  12,  83 

Napoleon  of  the  Turf,  143 

Nassau  Street,  224 

National  Advocate,  265 

National  Guard,  134 

National  Hotel,  225 

National  Theatre,   132,   185,  232, 

278,    322,   328,    343,    371,    442, 

451,  489,  492 
Native  American  Party,  301,  372 
Native  Americans,  393,  409 
Nautilus,  85 
Naval  School,  U.  S.,  330 
Navigation  of  Certain  Rivers,  153 
Negroes,  Status  of,  181 
Negroes,  Voting  of,  134 
Negro  Minstrels,  405 
Neill.  Henry  E.,  412 
Nelson,  Joseph,  148,  312 
Neptune,  Capsizing  of,  159 
Neptune  Stranded,  85 
Nevius,  Jacob,  24 
New  Almshouse,  26 
Newark,  43 
Newark,  255 
Newbold,  George,  273 


New  Brighton,  253,  321 
Newcastle,  Duke  of,  530 
New  Constitution,  134 
New  England,  277 
New  England  Hotel,  225 
New  Jerusalem  Church,  210 
New  Market  Course,  92 
New  Philadelphian,  172,  189 
Newport,  194 
Newsboy,  First,  274 
News  from  Europe,  44 
Newspapers,  47,  159 
Newspapers,  Delivery  of,  108 
Newspapers    Printed     by     Steam 

Power,  296 
Newspaper  Venders,  54 
New  Street,  294 
New  Vear's  Day,  78,  98,  150 
New  York  Advertiser,  244 
New  York  American,  no 
New  York  and  Erie  Railroad,  297, 

374,    439.  445,   457,  462,    469, 

484 
New  York  and  Harlem  Railroad, 

265,    271,    284,    293,    340,    345, 

399,  412,  441,  448,  478 
New  York  and  Liverpool  Packets, 

44 
New  York  and  New  Jersey  Bound- 
ary Line,  286 
New  York  to  Philadelphia,  269 
New  York  and  Philadelphia  Fire- 
engines,  294 
New  York  Bible  Society,  164 
New   York    "  Bowery  "    Theatre, 

191 
New   York    Central    and  Hudson 

River  Railroad,  243 
New  York  Chemical  Works,  152 
New  York  Choral  Society,  150 
New  York  Coffee  House,  224 
Are'7c>  York  Courier,  47 
New  York  Courier  and  Enquirer, 

265,  408 
New    York    Daily    Express    and 

Daily  Ad?>erliser,  312 
New  York  Dispensary,  182 
New  York  Dry  Dock  Co.,  151 
New   York  Enquirer,  240,  265 
New  York  Evangelist,  271 
New  York  Evening  Post,  47 
New  York  Gas  Light  Co.,  138 
New  York  Gazette,  47 


INDEX 


569 


New  York  Herald,  295 

New  York  Historical  Society,  331, 

339.  376,  514 
New  York  Hospital,  29 
New  York  Hotel,   179,  225,  417, 

437 
New  York  Institute,  83,  90,  160 
New  York  Lead  Works,  no 
New  York  Life  and    Trust    Co., 

408 
New    York   Mirror  and    Ladies' 

Literary  Gazette,  139,  221 
New  York  Observer,  113 
New  York  Opera  Co.,  277 
New  York  Sacred  Musical  Society, 

150 
New  York  Screw  Dock  Co.,  232 
New  York  Society   Library,    194, 

322,  376,  486 
New  York  Tea  Party,  1 
New  York  Tribune,  369 
New  York  Yacht  Club,  413,  497 
Niblo  and  Sykes,  135 
"  Niblo's  Garden,"  230,  268,  388, 

476,  516,  538 
Niblo's  Stage,  238 
Niblo's  (William),   114,   124,  195, 

224,    230,   242,   245,    388,   422, 

502 
Nicholson,  John  B.,  218 
Nicoll,  401 
Night  Latches,  164 
Ninth  Avenue,  374 
Noah,  M.  M.,  47,   113,   173,  223, 

240,  265,  294,  386 
Noah's  National  Advocate,  265 
"  Nolan's,"  541 

Nomination  of  State  and  City  Of- 
ficers, 32-33,  391 
North  Avierica,  274 
North  and  East  Rivers  Crossed  on 

Ice,  312 
"North"  Dutch  Church,  2,  272 
Northern  Hotel,  28,  225 
Northern  Mail,  134 
Northern  Route,  346 
North  River  Hank  Chartered,  121 
North  River  Bulkheads,  1  7 
North  River  Closed  by  Ice,  119 
North    River  Steamboat   Co.,   84, 

North  Street  (Houston),  17,  272 
Notable  Events,  78 


Nott,  Dr.  Eliphalet,  150,  320 

Novelty,  320 

Numbers  in  Wall  Street,  49 

Oak  Street,  13 

Obelisk  Lane,  10 

Ocean  Steamship  Co.,  102 

O'Connell,  Guard,   298 

O'Conor,  Charles,  324 

Office  Furnishing,  etc.,  71 

Officers,  Election  of,  32 

Offices  in  Wall  Street,  163 

Offices,  Rent  of,  163 

Offices,  State  and  Charter,  no 

Ogden,  Abraham,  429 

Ogden,  Gouverneur,  240 

Ogden,  Thomas  L.,  415 

Ogle,  "  Gold  Spoons,"  332 

Ohio,  Launching  of,  1 13,  258 

Ohio  Life  and  Trust  Co.,  512 

Old  Boston  Road,  291 

"  Old  Brewery,"  376,  486 

Old  Dominion  Steamship  Co.,  461 

"  Old  Hays,"  224,  261 

"  Old  Hickory,"  231 

"  Old  Hunkers,"  416 

"Old  Kill"  Road,  9 

Old  Merchants  of  New  York,  179 

"Old  Paff,"  87 

Old  Slip,  6 

Old  Slip  Market,  27 

Old  Stone  House  at  Turtle  Bay, 

137 
Olive  Branch,  153 
Oliver  Ellsworth ,  216 
Oliver,  Isaac  J.,  542 
Oliver,  James  D.,  96,  150 
Oliver  Street,  13,  180 
Olmstead,  Frederick  L.,469,  513 
Olympic  Circus,  West's,  401 
Olympic  Theatre,  221,  322,  328, 

345.  425,  440,  442 
Omnibuses,  528 
Onderdonk,  Bishop  Benj.  T.,  212, 

246,  408,  483 
One  Cent  Paper,  First,  274 
0)i-ka-hy-e,  351 
Opera,  150 
Oranges,  54 
Orange  Street,  324 
Ordinances,  City,  180 
Ordronaux,  John,  525 
Oregon,  433 


57° 


INDEX 


Organ  Grinders,  54 

Orphan  Asylum  Society,  465 

Orphans'  Home  and  Asylum,  514 

Orthodox  Quakers,  225 

Overcoats,  109 

Owen,  Robert  Dale,  236 

Owens,  John  L.,  465 

Oyster  Cellar,  296 

Oyster,     Shaving,     and      Billiard 

Parlors,  57 
Ox,  Wonderful,  218 

Paaf,  M.  ("Old  Pari"),  87 

Paas,  104,  410 

Pacific,  449,  451,  460,  462,   501, 

516 
Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Co.,  441, 

450 
Packet  Ships,  227,  262 
Pacolin,  Onesippe,  192 
Paisley  Place,  136 
Palmipedes,  240 
Palmo,  F.,  407 
Palmo's  Opera  House,  268,    438, 

444 
Panama,  450 

"  Paradise  and  the  Peri,"  441 
Paris  Fashions,  175 
Parish,  Henry,  273 
Park  and  Battery  Fences,  34,  126, 

133 
Parker  Vein  Coal  Co.,  494 
Parkhurst,  Rev.  C.  H.,  487 
Park,  Madison  Square,  7 
Park  Place,  496,  533 
Park  Place  Hotel,  28,  225 
Park,    Planting     of     Rosebushes, 

134 
Park    Railing  and  Granite  Balls, 

126,  133 
Park  Row,  93 

Park  Theatre,    50,    52,    no,    114, 
122,    136,    150,   239,   260,   331, 
347.    354,    393,    399"40i,    405, 
419-  444,  491,  496.  535 
Park  Theatre  Riot,  260 
Parodi,  Teresa,  465,  504 
Passage  from  Boston,  422 
Passage  from  Philadelphia,  168 
Passages,  Liverpool  to  Boston,  381 
Passages  to  Liverpool,  335 
Passage  to  Providence,  269 
Patchogue,  Drive  to,  162 


Patriotic  Dame,  18 

Patti,  Adelina,  438,  476,  490 

Patti-Strakosch,  489 

Paulding,  James  K.,  236 

Paulding,  Wm.,  138,  165,  183, 
197,  214,  227,  245 

Paulus  Hook  Ferry-boats,  39,  192 

Pavement  in  Harlem,  269 

Paving,  34 

Payne,  John  Howard,  150 

Payne,  Wm.  H.,  500 

Peabody,  George,  358,  485 

"  Peacemaker,"  407 

Peale's  Museum,  174,  218 

Pearl  Street,  13,  365 

Pearl  Street  House,  225 

Pearsall's,  251 

Pear-tree,  433 

Pease,  Lewis  M.,  465 

Peck,  Capt.,  167 

Peck  Slip,  6 

Pedlar,   180 

Peekskill  Route,  257 

Pell  &  Trowbridge,  448 

Penitentiary,  26 

Penny  Post,  385 

Pentz  &  Co.,  306 

Pepoo,  Mr.,  203 

Periaguas,  39 

Perry,  Capt.  M.  C.  (Commodore), 
342,  390,  432,  527 

Perry,  H.  A.,  517 

Persia,  460,  501 

"  Peter  Funks,"  393 

Petersfield,  76 

"  Pewter  Mug,"  34,  227 

"  Peytona,"  421 

Pheasants,  English,  171 

Phelps,  Thaddeus,  222,  322,  344 

Phelps  &  Peck's  Stores,  265 

Philadelphia,  330 

Philadelphia  Firemen  and  Meet- 
ing, 307 

Philadelphia,  Line  to,  244 

Philadelphia,  Travel  to,  43,  101 

Phillips,  Wendell,  411 

P ha  nix,  108 

Phoenix  Bank,  49 

Photographs,  54 

Physical  Changes,  5 

Piccolomini,  Marietta,  517 

Pickwick,  Mr.,  383 

"  Pickwick  Papers,"  383 


INDEX 


571 


Pierce,    President    Franklin,    468, 

488,  499 
Pierrepont's  Windmill,  17 
Piers,  7 

Piers  and  Bulkheads,  90 
Piers    and    Streets,    Cleaning   of, 

168 
Pierson,  Isaac,  no 
"  Pie  Woman's  Lane,"  12 
Pigeon-shooting,  283,  525 
Pike,  General,  84 
Pike  Slip,  6 
Pike,  the  Distiller,  121 
Pilot  Boy,  21 
Pilots,  425 

Pinckney,  B.  O.,  542 
Pinckney,  Win.  L.,  542 
Pine  Street,    243,    260,   272,    283, 

3ii 
Pintard,  John,  91 
Pintard's  Calculation,  532-534 
Pinteaux,  Mr.,  388 
Pioneer,  The,  130 
Pipe-laying,  379 
Pipe-smoking,  57 
Piracy,  92,  131,  159 
Piratical  Vessel,  103,  242 
Pistol-shooting,  7 
"Pivotal  State"  Election,  290 
Placide,     Henry,    147,    186,    241, 

373,  442,  496,  516 
Placide,  Henry  and  Thomas,  52 
Placide,  Thomas,  186 
Piatt,  Colonel,  154 
Piatt,  Jacob  S.,  273 
Piatt  Street,  273,  285 
Plumbers,  392 
Pocket-book  Dropping,  446 
Poillon,  Cornelius,  237 
Polar  Sea,  460 
Police,  Day  and  Night,  393 
Police  Department,  410,  452,  504 
Police  Office,  410 
Police-officers,  Number  of,  31,424 
Political    Canvass  of    New    York, 

290 
Political  Parties,  101 
Polk,  James  K.,  231 
Polling  Places,  294 
Poole,'  "  Bill,"  355,  498 
Popham,  Maj.  Wm.,  409,  435 
Population,   6,    18,  182,   263,  425, 

532 


Postage,  418 

Postage  Law,  New,  456 

Postages,  Letter,  44 

Post  Boy,  160 

Posters,  Illustrated,  54 

Post-office,  31,  32,  203,   218,   385, 

418 
"  Potpie"  Palmer,  87 
Potter,  Rev.  Dr.  Horatio,  496 
Potter's  Field,  102,  138,  214 
•'  Pot,  The,"  30 
Potts,  Rev.  Dr.  George,  406 
Poultry,  Fancy,  500 
Power,  Maurice,  444 
Power,  Tyrone,  52,  274,  292,  354, 

367,  496 

Practical  Plumbers,  392 

Pray,  Samuel,  442 

Presbyterian  Churches,   203,   206, 

212 
Presbyterian   Church,    First,    120, 

155 
Preserves,  Domestic,  70 
President,  274,  373 
Presidential  Campaign,  530 
Presidential  Canvass,  231 
Presidential  Electors,  414 
Press  Dinner  to  Dickens,  384 
Price,  Benjamin,  347 
Price,  Stephen,  346 
Price,  Thompson,  332 
Price,  Wm.  M.,  189,  338,  347,  388 
Pride,  George  L.,  193 
Pride  of  China,  542 
Prime,  Nathaniel,  273 
Prime,  Ward,  King  l\;  Co.,  344 
Prince  of  Wales,  529-530 
Prince's  Ball,  530 
Princeton,    U.    S.    Steamer,    345, 

368,  405,  407 
Printers'  Union,  466 
Printing,  47 

Prison  Association,  430 
Prison  Ship,  344 
Private  Carriages,  6,  96 
Property  Qualifications,  34S 
Provisions,   Scarcity  and  Importa- 
tion of,  58 
Provost,  Bishop,  246 
Provost  Street,  272 
Public  Baths,  54 
Public  Meeting,  286,  325 
Public  Office,  32 


572 


INDEX 


Public  Pound,  172 

Public  Promenade,  163 

Public  Stores,  193,  346 

Pulpit  of  St.  Paul's  Church,  202 

Pump,  Street,  35-36,  237 

Purdy,  Samuel,  143 

Purdy's   National    Theatre,    345, 

517 
Puseyism,  408 
"  Puseyites,"  408 
Pusey,  Rev.  Dr.,  405 
Putnam's  Monthly,  406 

Quaker  Schism,  225 
Quaker  Yearly  Meeting,  218 
Queen  Mab,  139 
Queen  of  the  West,  514 
Queen  Victoria,  517 

Rabineau,  Dr.,  99 

Race-course,  Bath,  103 

Race-course,  New  Market,  61 

Rachael,  Mme.,  499 

Racket  Court,  427 

Radcliffe,  Jacob,  1,  28,  50,  84 

Railroad  in  Broadway,  539 

Railroads,  265 

Railroad,   Schenectady  to  Albany, 

186 
Railways,  Street,  54,  265 
Rainbow,  428 
Randall,  Jonathan,  30 
Randall,  John,  Jr.,  II,  119 
Randall,  Robert  R.,  253,  261 
Randall's  Island,  30,  295 
Randolph,  John,  143 
Randolph,  Stuart  F.,  179 
Ravel,  Gabriel,  268,  434 
Ravels,   The,   35,   230,   268,  388, 

516 
Raymond,  Henry  J.,  369,  476 
Ray,  Robert,  273,  431 
"  Razor  Strop  Man,"  477 
Real  Estate,    no,   239,   265,   297, 

303.  327.  345,  390,  459.  520 
Real  Estate  Brokers,  296 
Reason  Street,  229,  237 
Receipts  and  Expenditures  of  City, 

101 
Recorders,  32,  337 
\<v*\  Fort,  21,  163 
Red  Hook,  17,  303 
"  Red  House,"  283,  541 


Redmond,  T.  B.,  223 

"  Red  Rover,"  130 

Red  Star  Line,  129 

Reformed  Dutch  Churches,  200 

Reformed         Dutch        Collegiate 

Churches,  203 
Refrigerators,  339 
Regatta,   Annual,  of  Boat  Clubs, 

253,  298 
Regatta,   New  York  Yacht  Club,. 

422-423,  499 
Register,  134,  265 
Registry  Commission,  380 
Registry  Law,  348,  385 
Reilly's  Fifth  Ward  Hotel,  469 
Religious  Revival,  513 
Removal  of  Offices,  135 
Removal  of   U.  S.  Deposits,    279, 

286,  310 
Remsen  House,  256 
Remsen's  Building,  331 
Renwick,  James,  334,  404 
Renwick,  Prof.  J  as.,  LL.  D.,  336 
Repair  and  Supply  Dept.,  452 
Representation  in  Congress,  30S 
Republican  Alley,  12 
/fescue,  460 
Reservoir,  East  Thirteenth  Street, 

264,  285 
Reservoir  (Bryant  Park),  138 
Reservoir  Square,  488 
Residence  of  Merchants,  35 
Restaurants,  53,  61 
Restell,  Mme.,  370 
Resumption  of  Specie  Payments, 

330,  336 
Rhind,  Charles,  258 
Rhinelander,  Dr.  John  R.,  267 
Rhinelander's  Lane,  10 
Rhode  Island  Coal  Co.,  65 
Rhodes,  Foster,  259 
Rice,  T.  D.,  269 
Rice's,  Dan.,  Circus,  516 
Richmond,  IOO 
Richmond  Hill  House  and  Garden, 

96-97,  133,  262,  319,  351,  43L 

457 
Ridgeley,  Capt.  Charles  G.,  U.  S. 

N.,  104,  342 
Riker  1  louse,  337 
Riker,  John,  Jr.,  314 
Riker,  '  Richard,    32,    223,    337, 

390 


INDEX 


573 


Ring,  Zebedee,  232 

Riot  in  Chatham  Street  Chapel, 

289 
Riots,  510 
"  Riot  Year,"  290 
Ripley,  George,  463 
Ritchie,  W.  F.,  422 
Ritchings,    Peter,    123,    132,   292, 

442,  496 
River  Navigation,  253 
Rivers,  Blockades  of,  40 
River  Thieves,  480 
Rivington  Slip,  6 
Roads  and  Lanes,  7 
Robert  Fulton,  129 
Robert  Fulton,  U.  S.  N.,  no 
Roberts,  Lieut.,  R.  N.,  335 
Roberts,  Marshall  O.,  493 
Robbins,  George,  423 
Robinson,  Capt.,  423 
Robinson,  Richard  P.,  319 
Robinson  Street,  12 
"Rochester     Knockings,      The," 

444 
Rockaway  Marine  Pavilion,  273 
Roebling,  John  A.,  514 
Roebling,  Thos.  A.,  514 
Rogers,  Captain,  422 
Rogers,  Mary,  309 
Roller  Skating,  35 
Rollins,  George,  423 
Romaine,  Samuel  B.,  no 
Roman    Catholic    Churches,  200, 

212,  298 
Roman  Catholic  Orphan  Asylum, 

482 
Roman  Catholics,  49,  375,  409 
Roosevelt,  James,  432 
Roosevelt  Slip,  6 
Roosevelt  Street,  13 
Rose-bushes  in    City    Hall    Park, 

134 
Rose  Hill  Lane,  10 
Rossi,  Countess,  482 
Rothschilds,  Messrs.,  326 
Rotunda,  The,  31,  270 
Rubber  Boots  and  Overshoes,  116 
Ruffed  Grouse,  261 
Ruggles,  Samuel  B.,  366,  426 
Run  on  Savings  Banks,  327 
Rushton,  Wra.  L.,  336 
Russ,  Mr.,  482 
"'  Russ"  Pavement,  542 


Russell,  Archibald,  493 

Russ,  John  Dennis,  470 

Rutgers,  Col.,  22,  154 

Rutgers  Medical  College,  193,  313 

Rutherford,  John,  27 

Rye  Pond,  214 

Rynder  Street,  229 

Sabbatarians,  238 

Sacred  Musical  Society,  457 

Saddle  Horses,  90 

Sailing  Packets,  243 

Sailors'  Snug  Harbor,  261,  274 

Sale  of  Lots,  121,  345,  390 

Sales  by  the  Pound  or  Ton,  151 

"  Sales-ladies,"  54,  181 

Sales-women,  181 

Salles,  Laurent,  114 

"  Saloons,"  379,  401 

Salter,  Mr.,  378 

Saltus,  Col.  "Nick,"  317,  459 

Samuels,  Capt.  S.,    471,  493,  521 

Sandford,  Maj.-Gen.  Charles  W.f 

160,  188,  324 
San  Francisco  Minstrels,  447 
"Sans  Souci,"  230,  284 
"  Santa  Claus,"  78 
Santa  Cruz  de  Oviedo,  Don  Esta- 

ban,  524 
Saratoga,  194 
Saratoga  &  Schenectady    R.    R., 

265 
Saul  &  Howlett,  480 
Savannah,  I 02 
Savings   Bank,   Chambers   Street, 

90,  166 
Savings  Banks,  327 
Sawdust  Game,  446 
Saw  Mill  Creek,  15 
Sawyers,  Wood,  65 
Saxe-Weimar.  Duke  of,  176 
Schenck,  Philip  H.,  no 
Schenectady    &    Albany    R.     R. 

186 
Schermerhorn,  Mrs.,  424 
Schermerhorn,  Peter,  273 
Schiefflin,  Robert  L.,  308 
Schiller,  521 
Schinley,  Capt.,  365 
Schooley's  Mountains,  194 
School  Term,  149 
Schroeder,  Rev.  John  F.,  212 
Schuyler,  Geo.  L.,  423,  436,  472 


574 


INDEX 


Schuyler,    Robert   and    Geo.    L., 

397 
Schuyler,  Robert,  494 
Scott,    Maj.-Gen.    Winfield,    381, 

432,  495 
Scott's  and  Cooper's  Novels,  292 
Scott,  Sir  Walter,  137 
Screw  Docks,  311 
Scudder,  John,  82 
Scudder's  Museum,  90,   126,  218, 

399 

Sea  Fox,  120 

Sea  Serpent,  188,  218 

"  Second  Coming  of  Christ,"  281 

Secor  &  Sons,  Francis,  291,  320 

Sectional  or  Dakin's  Dock,  404 

Seeley,  Peter,  320 

Sefton,  Mrs.,  52,  232 

Seguin's  Point,  513 

Seldon,  Rev.  Mr.,  299 

Seminary,  General  Theological, 
190 

September  Gale,  125 

Seventeenth  Ward  Riot,  511 

Seventh  Regiment,  290,  509 

Seventh  Street,  217 

Severe  Winter,  312 

Seward  Monument,  165 

Seward,  Wm.  H.,  331,  392,  396 

Sewer  Discharge,  48 

Sewer  in  Canal  Street,  101 

Sewing  Machines,  54 

Shakespeare  Hotel,  105 

Sharpe,  Mrs.,  174 

Sharp,  Jacob,  540 

Shaving,  Billiard,  and  Oyster  Par- 
lors, 57 

Shaw,    Miss  Josephine,   319,  341, 

371 
Shephard,  II.  D.(  275 

Sheriffs,  32,  134,  509 
Shinbone  Alley,  12,  284 
Ship  Building,  237,  439 
Shipping  Trade,  386 
"  Ship  Yard  Fire,"  145 
Shoe  and  Boot  Blacking,  88 
Shooter's  Island,  287 
Shooting  of  Militia  Men,  236 
Shop  Butchers,  89,  378 
Shot  Tower,  Youle's,  125,  223 
"  Shysters,"  54 
Sideu  alks,  412 
"  Sikesy,"  355 


Silas  Richards,  Arrival  of,  188 
"Silk  Stocking"  Party,  289 
Silt,  Dredging  of,  137 
Simpson,  Edmund,  315,  393,  438,. 

441 
Simpson  &  Price,  347 
Sinclair,  Mrs.,  479 
Singing  Campaign,  345 
"Sir      Charles,"      Match       with 

"American  Eclipse,"  136 
"Sir       Henry"       Match        with 

"  American  Eclipse,"   143-144, 

411 
Sirius,  335 
Sixth    Avenue,    Opening    of,    90, 

171 
Sixth  Avenue  R.  R.,  477,  484 
Sixth  Street,  264 
Skates,  77 
Skating,  Roller,  35 
Sketch  Club,  431 
Skiddy,  Capt.  Wm.,  471 
Skinner  Road,  8 
Slack,  John  C,  149 
Slamm,  Bang,  Ming  &  Co.,  302 
Slamm,  Levi  I).,  300 
Slavery,  Abolition  of,  134,  277 
Slavery,  Existence  of,  82 
Slavers,  117 

Slaves,  Attempt  to  Free  Them,  188 
Slave  Vigilance  Committee,  454 
"Slaughterhouse  Lane,"  12 
Slaughtering  of  Animals,  60 
Sleds  and  Sleighs,  34 
"Slim,"  282 

"  Slippery  Dick,"  309,  487 
Sloat,  Commodore,  JohnD.,  U.  S. 

N.,  435 
Sloo,  Albert  G.,  448 
Sloo  Contract,  449 
"  Slop  Tailors,"  76 
Slote  Lane,  12 
Slote  Lane  Extended,  176 
Smell  Street,  12 
Smith,  Bishop,  269 
Smith,  Col.    Wm.   S.,  House  of 

127 
Smith  &  Dim  on,  158,  237,  470 
Smith,  Edward,  258 
Smith,  James,  257 
Smith,   fames  M.,  506 
Smith,  Joseph,  249 
Smith,  Jotham,  53,  324,  537 


NDEX 


575 


Smith,  Thomas  H.  &  Son,  242, 
458 

Smith,  Washington,  542 

Smoking  in  the  Streets,  72,  158 

Snediker,  John,  250 

Snediker's,  O.  T.,  395 

Snipe  and  Shooting  Grounds,  16- 
17,  10S 

Snow  in  the  Streets,  34,  119 

Snuff,  544 

Social  Clubs,  317 

Social,  Domestic,  and  Business 
Changes,  54 

Social  Status  of  Negroes,  181 

Society  for  Founding  an  Institu- 
tion for  the  Blind,  339 

Society  of  Christian  Friends,  210 

Society  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul,  300 

"Soft  Shell"  Party,  416 

Somers,  U.  S.  Brig,  Mutiny  in, 
397 

Sontag,  Henrietta,  482 

Sons  and  Daughters  of  the  Revo- 
lution, 4 

Sons  of  Liberty,  2 

Sothern,  E.  A . ,  490,  520 

Soup  House,  100 

Southampton,  542 

Southampton  Road,  9 

South  Carolina  Seceded,  531 

4 '  South"  Church,  Garden  Street, 
205 

Southern  Mail,  32,  44 

South  Ferry,  221 

South  Street,  11 

Specie  Payments  Resumed,  86, 
336 

Spectacles,  54,  57 

Spectaculum,  218 

Spectator.   7  he,  47 

Speculations,  500 

Spencer,  Mark,  189 

Spencers,  75 

Spingler  Estate,  21,  418 

Spingler,  Henry,  21 

Spirituous  Drinks,  57 

Spicer,  George,  411 

Spiritualism,  444 

Spofford  &  Tileston,  426,  484 

Sportsmen  and  Game,  108 

Sprague,  Charles,  122 

Spruce  Beer,  Mead,  etc.,  58 

Spruce  Street,  264 


Spuyten  Duyvil  Creek,  287 

"  Spy,  The,"  Unmasked,  129-130, 
132 

Stackpole,  Mr.,  132,  195 

Stage-coaches,  125 

Stage  Fares,  540 

Stage  from  Bull's  Head,  139 

Stage  Lines  and  Routes,  43,  229, 
231 

Stage  Offices,  40 

Stages  and  Cars,  Street,  54 

Stages,  City,  539 

Stages,  Eastern,  43 

Stages,  Greenwich  and  Harlem,  39 

Stages  to  Albany,  43 

Stages  to  Boston,  43 

Stages  to  P21izabethtown  (Eliza- 
beth), 43 

Stages  to  Monmouth,  43 

Stages  to  Newark,  43 

Stages  to  Paterson,  43 

Stages  to  Philadelphia,  43,  101 

Stages  to  Washington,  43 

Stage  to  Bloomingdale,  101 

St.  Andrew's  Society,  196 

Stanley,  Marcus  C,  389 

Stanwix  Hall,  498 

Star  Theatre,  129,  252,  482 

State  and  Charter  Officers,  120 

Staten  Island  Ferry,  85 

Staten  Island  Ferry  and  Barge 
Office,  39,  41 

Staten  Island  to  City  on  Ice,  119 

State's  Prison,  192,  226,  230 

Steamboat  Excursions,  54 

Steamboat  Hotel,  28 

Steamboats,  Number  of,  40 

Steamboats,  Speed  of,  124 

Steamboats  to  Albany,  43 

Steamboats  to  New  Brunswick,  43 

Steamboats  to  New  Haven,  43 

Steamboats,  Wrecking  of,  400 

Steamboat  Travel,  133 

Steam  Boiler,  Riveting  of,  249 

Steam-engine,    Establishment    of, 

53 
Steamers   and    Sailing   Vessels  to 

San  Francisco,  452 
Steam  Fire-engine,  370,  497,  516^ 

532 
Steam  Launch,  329 
Steam  Locomotive,  237 
Steam  Motor,  First,  285 


576 


INDEX 


Steam     Navigation     of      Hudson 

River,  108 
Steam  Pump,  264 
Steam-sawing  and  Wood-splitting, 

65 
Steel  Pens,  Prototype  of,  176 
Steers,  George,  472 
Steers,  Henry,  237 
Steers,  Henry  &  George,  472 
Steffanone,  Mine.,  462,  489 
St.  George's  Church,  149,  212,421 
St.  George's  Society,  345 
St.  George's  Square,  86 
Stenography,  189 
Stephenson,  George,  237 
Stereotyping,  82 
Stevedores,  316 
Stevens,  Edwin  A.,  472 
Stevens,  Horatio  G.,  30 
Stevens  House,  55 
Stevens,  John  C.,  282,  350,   414, 

423,  472 
Stevens,    Robert    L.    &   John    C., 

172,  255,  282 
Stevens,  Robert  L.,  108,  351,  414, 

433 
Stevens,  Samuel,  392 
Steward  of  Steamboat,  292 
Stewart,  Alexander  T.,  212,  409, 

418,  429,  432,  461 
Stewart,  Commodore  Charles,    U. 

S.  N.,  398 
Still  Hook,  17 
Stillwellites,  207 
St.  John's  Park  Fence,  243 
St.  Luke's  Hospital,  430,  466,  488, 

493,  505,  517 
St.  Mark's  Place,  321 
St.  Nicholas  Avenue,  8,  10 
St.  Nicholas  Society,  295,  410 
Stock-brokers,  385 
Stocks  and  Bonds,  386 
Stocks,  etc.,   Depreciation  of,  390 
Stocks,  Neck,  148 
Stockton,  Captain  R.  F.,  U.S.  N.t 

340,  345,  367,  405,  408 
Stoneall,  James  C,  107,  157,  259 
Stone  Bridge  Hotel.  7 
Stone-cutters'  Riot,  290 
Stone,  J.  A.,  241 
Stone  Street,  311,  432 
Stone,  William  L.,  47,  255,  413 
Stoppani's  Baths,  54 


Stores  Closed,  71-72 

Story,  Francis  V.,  275 

Stoughtenger,  240 

Stoughton,  James,  and  Robert  M. 

Goodman's  Encounter,  104 
Stoves,  Hall  Furnaces,  etc.,  65-66 
St.  Patrick's  Cathedral,  516 
St.  Patrick's  Church,  118,  313 
St.  Paul's  Church,  93 
St.  Philip's  Church,  290 
Strakosch,  Maurice,  504 
Straw  Bail,  54 
Street  Cars,  54,  265 
Street  Cars  and  Colored  Persons, 

181 
Street  Commissioner,  265,  506 
Street  Crossings  and  Sidewalks,  34 
Street  Gas  Lamps,  First,  220 
Street  Pump,  36 
Street  Railway,  First,  255 
Streets  and  Piers,  Cleaning  of,  168 
Streets,  Change  of  Names,  83,  229 
Street  Sewers,  69 
Street  Shoe-blacks,  54,  88 
Streets,  Lighting  of,  72 
Streets,  Opening  of,  84,  217 
Street  Stages,  54 
Streets  Widened,  264 
Strikers,  316 
Stringham,  Capt.  S.  H.,  U.  S.  N., 

335 
Stryker's  Bay.  14,  17 
Stryker's  House,  291 
St.  Thomas's  Church,  134,  198 
Stuyvesant,  Nicholas  William,  318 
Stuyvesant  Pear-tree,  433 
Stuyvesant,    Peter   G.,    273,    295, 

434 
Stuyvesant,  Petrus,  72 
Stuyvesant's,     Governor,     House, 

522 
Stuyvesant's    Pond,   Swamp,    etc., 

15,  78.  54i 
Stuyvesant  Street,  337 
Submarine  Telegraph,  402 
Sub-Treasury,  31 1 
Suffern,  Thomas,  273 
Sugar  House,  70 
Suicide,  226 
Summer  Garden  and  Theatre  for 

Colored  Persons,  123 
Sun,  160,  175,  189, 
Sunday  Concerts,  54 


INDEX 


577 


Sunday  Courier,  166 

Sunday  Dinners,  74 

Sunday  Excursions,  64,  124 

Sunday  Mails,  239 

Sunday  Newspapers,  First,  166 

Sunday  Papers,  47 

Sundays,  412 

Sunday-school,  226 

Sunfish  Pond,  15,  78,  541 

Sun,   The,  34,  274,  296,  410 

Supervisors,  Board  of,  504,  525,  542 

Supply  Engine,  No.  I,  85 

Supreme  Court,  221 

Surrogate,  265 

Suspension  Bridge,  513 

Suspension  of  Banks,  379,  512 

Suspension    of   Specie    Payments, 

327 
Suspicious  Vessel,  342 
Suydam,  Lambert,  308 
Suydam,  Miss,  220 
Suydam,  Richard,  273 
Siva  How,  419 
Swallow  Tail  Line,  302 
Swamp,  Old,  Church,  203 
"  Swamp,  The,"  14 
"  Swartwouting,"  338 
Swartwout,  John   &   Samuel,   121, 

223,  249,  338 
Swartwout,  Robert,  no 
"  Swedenborgian,"  210 
"  Swedish  Nightingale,"  463 
Sweetheart,  329 
Swift  sure,  160,  171 
*'  Swill"  or  "Stump-tailed  Milk," 

512 
Swimming-baths,  99 
Swords,  James,  429 
Sybil's  Cave,  389 
Sykes,  William,  161 
Symme's  Hole,  125 
Symines,  John  C,  124,  186 

Tabernacle,  412,  514 
Taglioni,  M.  and  Mme.,  341 

Tailors,  "  Slop,"  77 
Tailors,  Striking,  316 
Tallmadge,  F.  A.,  289,   385,  396, 

454 
Tammany  Hall,  33,  133,  225,  227, 

249.    277,    301,    339,    348,    369, 

3S6,  391,  416 
Tammany  Society,  62,  91,  523 

19 


Tappan,  Arthur,  163,  189,  224,  299 

Tappan,  Arthur,  &  Co.,  188 

Tappan,  Lewis,  188,  290,  299 

Target  Companies,  398,  531 

Tariff  Laws,  266 

"  Tattersall's,"  103,  217 

Taylor,  A.  B.,  460 

Taylor,  Arthur,  143 

Taylor,  Bayard,  463 

Taylor,    Gen.   Zachary,   U.  S.  A., 

428,  432,  441,  445,  461 
Taylor,  Mary  C,  338,  438,  440 
Taylor,  Moses,  493 
Taylor,  Najah,  91 
Taylor,  "  Tom,"  520 
Tax  Levy,  229 
Tea-dealer  in  Broadway,  180 
"  Tea  Room,"  86,  340,  479 
Tea-rusk,  35 
Tea-water  Pump,  36 
Tedesco,  462 
Teetotallers,  372 
Telegraph  at  Narrows,  47,  218 
Telegraph,  New   York    to    Phila- 
delphia, 403,  423 
Telegraphs,  54 
Ten  Broek,  R.,  421 
Tenement  House,  First,  531 
Tenth  Street,  217 
Terrapin  Lunch,  270 
Terrell,  Capt.,  346 
Texas,  412,  416 
Thackeray,  Wm.  M.,  483,  499 
Thalia  Theatre,  538 
Thatched  House,  253 

'J 'he  Advocate,  265 

Theatre  Alley,  50 

Theatre,  First,  50 

Theatre  for  Colored  Persons,  123 

Theatre,  Greenwich  Street,  50 

Theatre,  John  Street,  50 

Theatre,    New   York,  "  Bowery," 

First  Lighted  with  Gas,  191 
Theatre,  William  Street,  50 

'  The  Broadway  Cottage,"  401 

'  The  Bugs,"  295 

'  The  Burned  Rag,"  309 

'  The  Duke's  House,"  538 

'  The  Finish,"  235 

The  Free  Enquirer,  236 
The  Log  Cabin,  249,  368 
Theological     Seminary,    General, 
190,  262 


578 


:ndex 


"  The  Skimmer  of  the  River,"  43 

The  Sun,  304,  410 

The  Times,  224,  501 

The   Tribune,  369,  402,  410,  418, 

442 
Third  Avenue  Railroad,  485 
Third  Street,  217 
Thirteenth  Ward,  218 
Thomas,  Theodore,  502 
Thompson,  Corporal,  365,  487 
Thompson,  James,  239 
Thompson,  Jeremiah  and  Francis, 

44 
Thornburn,  Grant,  297 
Thome,  Chas.  R.,  239,  480 
Thorne,  Col.,  22,  438 
Thome,  Herman,  273 
Thorp,  T.  B.,  179 
Ticket  Night,  51 
Tiemann,  Daniel  ¥.,  7,  no,  516 
Tilden,  Samuel  J.,  373,  391 
Tillotson,  John  C,  282 
Timm,  Henry  C,  417,  441 
"Tin  Pot  Alley,"  12 
Tivoli  Garden,  351 
Tobacco,  544 
Tobacco,  Chewing,  57,  88 
Tobacco  Juice,  Ejection  of,  88 
"  Toe  Club,"  154 
Token,  310 
Tokens,  333 
Tomatoes,  148 
Tombs,  335 
"Tom  Jones,"  383 
Tompkins  Market,  27,  233,  243 
Tompkins  Square,  14,  16,  27,  108 
Tompkins  Street,  295,  310 
Tom  Thumb,  Gen.,  399 
Tonnage  of  Vessels,  335 
Tontine  Building,  29,  72 
Tontine  Coffee  House,  6,  44,  48, 

225 
Towing  of  Barges,  167 
Town,  Ithiel  &  Thompson,  238 
Townsend,  Isaac,  542 
Townsend,  Rosina,  319 
Trades-union,  316 
Tramps,  54 

Transportation,  Harbor,  40 
Trap  Shooting,  261 
Travelling,  40,  43,  124 
"  Travelling  Expedition,"  43,  231 
Travel  to  Boston,  133 


Travel  to  Rahway,  343 

Tread-mill,  134 

Tree,  Miss  Ellen,  52,  245,  320,  496 

Tremont  House,  179 

Trenton  Falls,  194,  220 

Trinity  Chapel,  499 

Trinity  Church,  155,  252,  269, 
340,  372,  428 

Trinity  Record,  190 

"  Trifle,"  282 

Tripler  Hall,  465,  482,  490,  492 

"  Trollope,"  276 

Trollope,  Anthony,  276 

Trollope,  Mrs.  Frances,  275-276 

Trollope,  Thomas  A.,  276 

Trotting-course,  245 

Trout,  Killing  of,  229 

Trouble,  413 

Troy  Conference  Academy,  280 

Trumbull,  Col.  John,  154,  406 

Tryon  Row,  365 

Tug-boats,  269 

Tunnel  of  New  York  and  Harlem 
R.  R-,  345 

Turner,  James,  498 

Turtle  Bay,  14,  17  ;  and  Store- 
house, 137 

Turtle  Club,  62 

Tweed,  Wm.  M.,  309,  484,  487 

Twenty-first  Street,  217 

Twenty-seventh    Regiment,     290,. 

435 
Tyler,  John,  President,  403 
Tyng,  Rev.  Stephen  II.,  421 
Typewriting,  54 

Unclaimed  Letters,  385 

Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,  489,  492 

Union  Bank,  49 

Union  Club,  15,  317,  493 

Union  Course,  L.  I.,  92,  218,  282, 

387,  421 
Union,  Journeymen   Tailors',  316 
Union  Line  to  Philadelphia,  239 
Union  Road,  9 
Union  Square,  138,  264 
Union  Theological  Seminary,  312 
Unitarian  Churches,  207,  212 
United  Hebrew  Charities,  300 
United  States,  166,  456 
United  States  Arsenal,  165 
United  States  Bank,  326-327,  344 
United  States  Express,  330 


INDEX 


579 


United  States  Hotel,  225,  275 
United  States  Hotel  (Saratoga),  458 
United  States  Mail,  91,  375 
Universalists,  210 
University  of  New  York,  255,  296 
University  Place,  284 
Upshur,  Abel  P.,  407 
Uptown  Movement,  317,  375 
Usher,  Mrs.,  59 

Vacation,  Summer,  544 

Valentine,  Dr.,  174 

Van  Arsdale,  John,  249 

Van  Buren,  John,  426 

Van  Buren,  Martin,  291,  332,  340, 

349.  370 
Van  Cortlandt,  General,  154 
Vandenheuvel,    Estate    of    J.    C, 

214 
Vandenheuvel  Mansion,  214,  475, 

537 
Vanderbilt,      Captain      Cornelius, 

85,  170,  240,  243,  251,  256,  292, 

4i8,  433 
Vanderbilt,  Jacob,  256 
Van  der  Cliff,  Dirk,  2 
Vanderhoff,  George,  52,  331,  343, 

39° 
Vanderlyn,  John,  32 
Vandervoort  &  Flandin,  53 
Van  Dyne,  "  Nick,"  250 
Van  Hoffman,  Baron,  88,  95 
Van  Nest,  Abraham,  109 
Van  Ranst,  C.   H.,  92,  136,   140, 

M3 
Van  Wyck,  Pierre  C,  308 
Varian  House,  314 
Varian,   Isaac  L.,    179,   335,  341, 

307 
Varick,  Colonel,  154 
Vaux,  Calvert,  469,  513 
Vauxhall  Garden,  122,  192 
Venality    of    Some    Members    of 

Common  Council,  etc.,  487 
Venders  of  Oysters,  Clams,   Fish, 

Buns,  Yeast,  etc.,  35 
Venetian  Shades,  448 
Verdant  Lane,  10 
Vernon,   Mrs.,   52,   220,   251,  496, 

520 
Verren,  Rev.  A.,  390 
Verplanck,   Gillian  C,    no,    221, 

287,  308 


Versailles,  Painting  of,  32 
Vessels  in  Port,  386,  416 
Vessels,  Sailing  and  Arrival  of,  84 
Vessels,  Tonnage  of,  in  Construc- 
tion, 335 
Vessels,  Transportation  of,  167 
Vesta,  460,  495 

Vestris,  M.  and  Mine.,  230,  238 
Vice-Chancellor,  221 
Viennoise,  439 
Vigilance  Committee,  300 
Vincent,  Marvin  R.,  281 
Virginia,  426 
"Virginia  Minstrels,"  446 
Vocal  Society,  457 
Volunteer  Firemen,  145,  535,  537 

Waddell,  Francis  L.,  458 

Waddell,  Mrs.,  424 

Waddell,  William  C.  H.,  424,  458 

Wainwright,  Bishop,  212,  297,  406, 
483 

Waite,  Captain,  346 

Walcot,  442 

Wales,  J.  W.,  397 

Walker  Street,  467,  492 

Wallack,  Charles,  493 

Wallack,  Henry,  122,  328,  433 

Wallack,  James,  52,  132,  331,  496 

Wallack,  James  W.,  92,  122,  126, 
232,  328,  343,  412,  4S1,  520 

Wallack,  J.  Lester,  438,  457,  481, 
520 

Wallack,  J.  W.,  Jr.,  457 

Wallack,  Mrs.,  122 

Wallack's  Lyceum,  481 

Walling,  George  W.,  480 

Wall  Street,  6,  294,  298,  492 

Walnut  Street,  22 

Walton  House,  89,  225,  250 

Waltzing,  192 

Walworth,  Chancellor,  261 

Ward,  Artemus,  160,  518 

Ward  Meetings,  179 

Ward,  Samuel,  214,  255,  344 

Ward's  Island,  30,  478 

Wards,  Number  of,  82,  166,  477 

Wards,  Third,  Seventh,  and  Tenth, 
217 

Wards,  Thirteenth  and  Four- 
teenth, 218 

Warm  Baths,  103 

Warming-pans,  65,  116-117 


58o 


INDEX 


Warren  House,  log,  254 
Warren's  House,  Sir  Peter,  254 
Warren  Road,  9 
Washington,  186,  217,  256 
Washington  and  Warren  Bank,  183 
Washington,   General  George,  97, 

159 

Washington  Hall,  28,  33,  59,  162, 

225,  317,  409 
Washington  Inauguration,  3,  339 
Washington  Lunch,  325 
Washington  Market,  27,  114,  278 
Washington  Market  Slip,  6,  27 
Washington  Monument,  278,  435 
Washington  Parade  (Square),  102, 

138,  214,  250 
Washington  Place,  464 
Washington's     Entry    Into     New 

York,  3 
Washington,  Ship,  167 
Washington,  Steamer,  432,  448 
Washington  Street,  478 
Washington,  Travel  to,  43 
Watch  Districts,  214 
Watch  Houses,  31,  536 
Watchman,  City,  31-32 
Water,  Boring  for,  169 
Waterbury,  James,  423 
Waterbury,  Nelson  J.,  373 
Waterford,  Marquis  of,  300,  353 
Water  Ices,  59 

Watering  Places,  Life  of,  193 
Waterloo,  Painting  of  Battle  of ,  32 
Water  Street,  13 
Water  Supply,  35,  169,  214,  290 
Water     Tank,     East     Thirteenth 

Street,   285 
Watts'  House,  55 
Wave,  298,  413 

Waverley  Novels,  Author  of,  137 
Waverly  Place,  264 
Webb,  James  W.,  240,  244,  265, 

2SS,  293,  312,  315,  396,  415 
Webb,  Wm.  H.,  454,  470-471 
Webb  &  Allen,  237 
Webster,   Daniel,    241,    289,    326, 

329,  353.  389,  395,  474,  482 
Webster,  Noah,  47 
Weed,  Thurlow,  187,  415 

Weekly  Mirror,  139 

Weekly  Times,  129 
Weller,  "Tony,"  383 
Well  in  Jacob  Street,  158 


Wells  &  Patterson,  262 

Welsh,  Alexander  ("Sandie"),  269, 

325 
Wentworth,  Rev.  Prof.,  280 
Westervelt,  Jacob  A.,  237 
Westervelt,  Richard  H.,  490 
West  Point  Cadets,  249 
West  Point  Foundry  Shop,  240 
West's  Circus,  103 
West  Street,  227,  291 
Wetmore,  Prosper  M.,  265 
Whaley,  Alexander,  249 
Wheatley,  Mrs.  E.,  52 
Wheatley,    Wm.    and   Emma,   52, 

232 
Whettin,  John,  102 
Whig  Jubilee,  329 
Whig  Meetings,  349,  353,  414 
Whigs  and  Democrats,  302 
Whigs  and  Tories,  91 
Whiskey,  American,  59 
Whispering  Gallery,  51 
White,  Bishop,  190 
White,    Campbell    P.,    179,    308, 

349,  373 
White,  Chandler,  493 
White  Fort,  21 
Whitehall,  6,  40 
Whitehall  Slip,  6 
Whitehall  Street,  13,  492-493 
White  Mountains,  194 
Whiting,  James  R.,  387,  401,  420 
Whitlock,  405 

Whitlock's  Havre  Line,  269 
Whitney,  Stephen,  221,  273 
Wikoff,  Henry,  41 1,  415 
"Wild  Cats,"  327 
Wild  Fowl,  40 
Wilhorst,  Cora  de,  504 
Wilkes,  J.  Hamilton,  423,  472 
Wilkins,  Martin  S.,  65 
Willard,  95 
Willard,  H.  E.,  328 
Willett,  Col.  Marinus,  22,  154 
Williams,  Barney,  405 
Williamsburg  Ferry  Co.,  188 
Williams,  Captain,  131 
Williams,  David,  249 
Williams,  Jabez,  237 
Williams,  La  Petite  Anguste,  338 
Williams,  Mrs.  Barney,  442 
Williamson  Ov  KLennard,  282 
Williamson,  Richard,  61 


INDEX 


5»I 


Williams,  Richard  S.,  308 
William  Street,  264,  294,  426 
William  Street  Theatre,  50 
Williams,  Wm.  R.,  189 
Williams  &  Guion,  470 
Willis,  N.  P.,  139,  461,  474 
Winchester,  Wm.  P.,  423 
Windust,  Edward,  161 
Winter  Garden,  474,  495,  500 
Winter,  Severe,  312,  503 
Winthrop,  Robert  C.,  383 
Wirt,  William,  188 
Wolcott,  Oliver,  274 
Wolfe,  Maj.-Gen.,  Monument  of, 

10 
Women,  54,  74-75 
Wonderful  Ox,  218 
Wood  as  Fuel,  146 
Woodbridge  Creek,  287 
Woodcock  Grounds,  17 
Woodcock,  Shooting  of,  180 
Wood  Democracy,  417 
Wooden  Block  Pavement,  299 
Wood,    Fernando,   291,    320-321, 

497,   499.     5o6,    509-510,    526, 

531 
AVoodhull,  CalebS.,  461 
Woodhull  &  Minturn,  445,  514 
Woodlawn,  541 
Wood,   Mr.   and   Mrs.,    275,    315, 

323,  354,  496,  502 
"Wood,    Sawing  and   Splitting   of, 

65 


Woods'  Minstrels,  448 
Woodworth,  Samuel,  139,  174 
Wool,  Gen.  John  E.,  436 
Wooster  Street,  272,  285 
Workingman's  Party,  466 
Workmen,  Pay  of,  73 
World's  Fair,  488 
World,  The,  532 
Worth,   Gen.    Wm.   J.,    165,  436, 

513 

Worthington,  Henry  R.,  543 

Worthington  &  Baker,  543 

"  Wreck  Brook,"  14 

Wright,     Frances    (Fanny),     124, 

474 
Wright  &  Son,  Isaac,  44 
Wyckoff's,  251 
Wynkoop,  Augustus,  no 

Yacht  Club,  New  York,  413,  422 
"  Yankee  Hill,"  259 
Yarborough,  Lord,  473 
Yearly  Meeting,  Quakers',  218 
Yellott,  Schooner,  283 
Yellow  P'ever,  102,  113,  125,  133, 

135 
Yellow  Hook,  17 
Yorkville,  6,  14,  459 
Youle's,  George,  Shot  Tower,  125, 

223 
"  Young  Hickory,"  231 
Young  Men's  Ball,  367 
Young,  Mr.,  52 


THE    END 


OLD    NEW   YORK 


A  TOUR  AROUND  NEW  YORK,  and  My  Sum- 
mer Acre ;  Being  the  Recreations  of  Mr.  Felix 
Oldboy.  By  John  Flavel  Mines,  LL.D. 
Illustrated.  8vo,  Cloth,  Ornamental,  Uncut 
Edges  and  Gilt  Top,  $3  00. 

IN  OLD  NEW  YORK.  By  Thomas  A.  Janvier, 
Author  of  "  The  Aztec  Treasure-House."  With 
Illustrations  and  Maps.  Post  8vo,  Cloth,  Orna- 
mental, $1  75. 

THE  STORY  OF  THE  VOLUNTEER  FIRE 
DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW 
YORK.  By  George  W.  Sheldon.  With  145 
Illustrations,  Portraits,  many  of  which  are  taken 
from  Old  Prints  of  Historic  Interest.  Square 
8vo,  Cloth,  $4  50. 


Published  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  New  York 


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